Psychological Reactance to Leader Moral Hypocrisy

Keywords

leader moral hypocrisy, psychological reactance, ethical leadership, workplace deviance

Abstract

Drawing on early work on ethical leadership, we argue that when leaders engage in leader moral hypocrisy (i.e., ethical promotion without ethical demonstration), followers can experience psychological reactance—a negative response to a perceived restriction of freedom—which can have negative downstream consequences. In a survey of employee–manager dyads (study 1), we demonstrate that leader moral hypocrisy is positively associated with follower psychological reactance, which increases follower deviance. In two subsequent laboratory experiments, we find similar patterns of results (study 2) and explore potential alternative mechanisms (study 3). We demonstrate in a final experiment with working adults that the relationship between leader moral hypocrisy and psychological reactance is partly explained by increased perceptions of a leader’s use of power (study 4). We discuss the implications of our findings and advocate for further understanding of the risks associated with psychological reactance in response to leaders and other workplace situations.

Original Publication Citation

"Rees, M., Smith. I. H., & Soderberg, A. T. (forthcoming). Psychological reactance to leader moral hypocrisy. Business Ethics Quarterly.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2023

Publisher

Business Ethics Quarterly

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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