Skip to main content
Log in

The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in the Perception of Unethical Behavior

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Is there really an ethical crisis? We propose that the situation is not as bad as many would have us believe. We have attempted to present an alternative explanation for some earlier reports of an ethical crisis. This has resulted in a number of research propositions. We are optimistic that there are, in spite of reports to the contrary, an overwhelming majority of ethical people populating our business community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen, I. and M. Fishbein: 1975, ‘A Bayesian Analysis of Attribution Processes’, Psychological Bulletin 82, 261–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J., L. Walker, D. Schroeder and D. Johnson: 1987, ‘Attributions and Attribution-behavior Relations: The Effect of Level of Cognitive Development’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52, 1099–1109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allport, F.: 1924, Social Psychology (Houghton Mifflin, Boston).

    Google Scholar 

  • Arkin, R. and S. Duval: 1975, ‘Focus of Attention and Causal Attributions of Actors and Observers’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 11, 427–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arkin, R., J. Gleason and S. Johnston 1976 ‘Effect of Perceived Choice, Expected Outcome, and Observed Outcome of an Action on the Causal Attributions of Actors’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 12, 151–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumhart, R.: 1961, ‘How Ethical are Businessmen?’ Harvard Business Review (July–August 6–19), 156–176.

  • Bell, L.: 1974, ‘Influence of Need to Control on Differences in Attribution of Causality by Actors and Observers’ (Doctoral dissertation, Duke University). Dissertation Abstracts International, 34, 4401 (University Microfilms No. 74-1122).

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, M., D. Wiese and T. Johnston: 1996, ‘Ethical Issues for Oklahoma Organizations’, Oklahoma Business Bulletin 64, 7–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calder, B., M. Ross and C. Insko: 1973, ‘Attitude Change and Attitude Attribution: Effects of Incentive, Choice, Competence, and Consequences’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 25, 84–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, J., P. Starr and D. Kanouse: 1979, ‘Self as Actor, Active Observer, and Passive Observer: Implications for Causal Attributions’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37, 1146–1152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fields, J. and H. Schuman: 1976, ‘Public Beliefs About Beliefs of the Public’, Public Opinion Quarterly 40, 427–448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelstein, L.: 1958, ‘The Businessman's Moral Failure’, Fortune (September), 116.

  • Fong, G., D. Krantz and R. Nisbett: 1986, ‘The Effects of Statistical Training on Thinking About Everyday Problems’, Cognitive Psychology 18, 253–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S.: 1982, ‘The Rediscovery of Ideology: Return of the Repressed in the Media Studies’, in M. Guerevitoh and J. Woollacott (eds.), Culture, Society and the Media (Methuem, London), pp. 56–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, J., B. Harris and R. Barnes: 1975, ‘Actor-observer Differences in Perceptions of Responsibility and Freedom’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32, 22–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hastorf, A., D. Schneider and J. Polefka: 1970, Person Perception (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Heider, F.: 1958, The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations (Wiley, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer, L.: 1994, ‘Strategic Planning as If Ethics Mattered’, Strategic Management Journal 15, 17–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D.: 1997, ‘48% of Workers Admit to Unethical or Illegal Acts’, USA Today (April), 4–6.

  • Jones, E. and K. Davis: 1965, ‘A Theory of Correspondent Inferences: From Acts to Dispositions’, in L. Berkowitz (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 2 (Academic Press, New York), pp. 219–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E. and V. Harris: 1967, ‘The Attribution of Attitudes’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 3, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E. and R. Nisbett: 1972, ‘The Actor and Observer: Divergent Perceptions of Causality’, in E. E. Jones et al. (eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the Causes of Behavior (General Learning Press, Morristown, NJ), pp. 79–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E., L. Rock, K. Shaver, G. Goethals and L. Ward: 1968, ‘Pattern of Performance and Ability Attribution: An Unexpected Primacy Effect’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 10, 317–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., P. Slovic and A. Tversky (eds.): 1982, Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases (Cambridge University Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kassin, S.: 1981, ‘From Laychild to “Layman”: Developmental Causal Attribution’, in S. Brehm, S. Kassin and F. Gibbons (eds.), Developmental Social Psychology: Theory and Research (Oxford University Press, New York), pp. 169–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, H.: 1967, ‘Attribution Theory in Social Psychology’, in D. Levine (eds.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, Vol. 15 (University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE), pp. 192–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, H.: 1972, ‘Attribution in Social Interaction’, in E. E. Jones, D. Kanouse, H. H. Kelly, R. E. Nisbett, S. Valins and B. Weiner (eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the Causes of Behavior (General Learning Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Langer, E. and J. Roth: 1975, ‘Heads I Win, Tails It's Chance: The Illusion of Control as a Function of the Sequence of Outcomes in a Purely Chance Task’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32, 951–955.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lafayette, J.: 1990, ‘Dosing the Rumors’, Advertising Age 61, 3–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latane, B. and J. Darley: 1970, The Unresponsive Bystander: Why Doesn't He Help? (Appelton-Century-Crofts, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Light, L. and M. Lander: 1990, ‘Killing a Rumor Before it Kills a Company’, Business Week 64, 23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maselli, M. and J. Altrocchi: 1969, ‘Attribution of Intent’, Psychological Bulletin 71, 445–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • McArthur, L.: 1972, ‘The How and What of Why: Some Determinants and Consequences of Causal Attribution’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 22, 171–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A.: 1975, ‘Actor and Observer Perceptions of the Learning of a Task’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 31, 503–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A., B. Gillen, C. Schenker and S. Radlove: 1974, ‘The Prediction and Perception of Obedience to Authority’, Journal of Personality 42, 23–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, D. and S. Norman: 1975, ‘Actor-observer Differences in Perceptions of Effective Control’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 22, 171–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, D. and M. Ross: 1975, ‘Self-serving Biases in the Attribution of Causality: Fact or Fiction?’ Psychological Bulletin 82, 213–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monson, T. and M. Snyder: 1977, ‘Actors, Observers and the Attribution Process’, Journal of Experimental Psychology 13, 89–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moshavi, S.: 1990, ‘FNN for Sale? Latest Grist for the Rumor Mill’, Broadcasting 199, 64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisbett, R., C. Caputo, P. Legant and J. Maracek: 1973, ‘Behavior as Seen by the Actor and as Seen by the Observer’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 27, 154–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisbett, R. and I. Ross: 1980, Human Inference: Strategies and the Shortcoming of Social Judgement (Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Gorman, H.: 1986, ‘Discovery of Pluralistic Ignorance’, Journal of History of the Behavioral Sciences 22, 333–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pendleton, S.: 1998, ‘Rumor Research Revisited and Expanded’, Language & Communication 18, 69–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, M.: 1998, ‘Embedded Organizational Events: The Units of Process in Organizational Service’, Organization Science 9(1), 16–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, B.: 1987, ‘The Buzz on the Wall Street’, Newsweek 109, 49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prentice, D. and D. Miller: 1993, ‘Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences on Perceiving the Social Norm’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 64, 243–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prentice, D. and D. Miller: 1996, ‘Pluralistic Ignorance and the Perpetuation of Social Norms by Unwitting Actors’, in M. P. Zanna (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, vol 28. Academic Press, Inc., pp. 161–209.

  • Rosnow, R. and G. Fine: 1976, Rumor and Gossip: The Social Psychology of Hearsay (Elsevier, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, L., G. Bierbrauer and S. Polly: 1974, ‘Attributions of Educational Outcome by Professional and Nonprofessional Instructors’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 29, 609–618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, L., D. Greene and P. House: 1977, ‘The “False Consensus Effect”: An Egocentric Bias in Social Perception and Attribution Processes’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 13, 279–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shamir, J.: 1986, ‘Prediction Polls in Israel: Structural Constraints on Accuracy’, Public Opinion Quarterly 50, 62–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shamir, J. and M. Shamir: 1997, ‘Pluralistic Ignorance Across Issues and Over Time’, Public Opinion Quarterly 61, 227–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, M., W. Stephan and D. Rosenfield: 1976, ‘Egotism and Attributions’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 33, 435–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Storms, M.: 1973, ‘Videotape and the Attribution Process: Reversing Actors’ and Observers’ Points of View’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 27, 165–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, J.: 1989, ‘Bankshot’, New York Times 22, 22–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. and S. Fiske: 1978, ‘Salience, Attention, and Attribution: Top of the Head Phenomena’, in L. Berkowitz (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 11 (Academic Press, New York), pp. 249–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. and J. Koivumaki: 1976, ‘The Perception of Self and Others: Acquaintanceship, Affect, and Actor-observer Differences’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 33, 403–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B.: 1986, An Attributional Theory of Emotion and Motivation (Springer-Verlag, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • West, S., S. Gunn and P. Chernicky: 1975, ‘Ubiquitous Watergate: An Attributional Analysis’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32, 55–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolosin, R., S. Sherman and C. Mynatt: 1972, ‘Perceived Social Influence in a Conformity Situation’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 23, 184–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolosin, R., S. Sherman and A. Till: 1973, ‘Effects of Cooperation and Competition on Responsibility Attribution After Success and Failure’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 9, 220–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyer, R.: 1974, Cognitive Organization and Change: An Information-Processing Approach (Erlbaum, Potomac, MD).

    Google Scholar 

  • Zinn, L.: 1991, ‘Saks Fifth Avenue has Seventh Avenue Shaking’, Business Week 165, 30–31.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Buckley, M.R., Harvey, M.G. & Beu, D.S. The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in the Perception of Unethical Behavior. Journal of Business Ethics 23, 353–364 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006294002920

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006294002920

Keywords

Navigation