Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Effects of Thought Suppression on Ethical Decision Making: Mental Rebound Versus Ego Depletion

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

Abstract

Although thought suppression is a commonly used self-control strategy that has far-reaching consequences, its effect on ethical decision making is unclear. Whereas ironic process theory suggests that suppressing ethics-related thoughts leads to mental rebounds of ethicality and decreased unethical behavior, ego depletion theory suggests that thought suppression can lead to reduced self-control and increased unethical behavior. Integrating the two theories, I propose that the effect of thought suppression on unethical behavior hinges on the content of the suppressed thoughts. Participants who suppressed ethics-related [-unrelated] thoughts engaged in less [more] cyber bullying (Experiment 1), cheating (Experiments 2–3), and dishonesty (Experiment 4) compared to participants in the control conditions. Explicit (Experiment 3) and implicit (Experiment 4) moral awareness was found to mediate this moderated effect. Experiment 4 further demonstrated that suppressing ethics-related thoughts reduces self-control performance on a subsequent amoral task, but not on subsequent ethical decision making.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Across the four experiments, a small number of participants, ranging from three to six, in the suppression condition reported “not at all” for the manipulation check question. Although all hypotheses remain supported when I removed these participants, I included all participants in the experiments to provide a more conservative test of my hypotheses.

  2. For a more in-depth discussion of the Stroop task, I referred interested readers to MacLeod (1991). The programming of the Stroop task is available for free at: http://www.millisecond.com/download/library/Stroop/.

References

  • Abramowitz, J. S., Tolin, D. F., & Street, G. P. (2001). Paradoxical effects of thought suppression: A meta-analysis of controlled studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 683–703. doi:10.1016/S0272-7358(00)00057-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, C., Schaubroeck, J., Huth, M., & Ghumman, S. (2011). Lack of sleep and unethical conduct. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 115, 169–180. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.01.009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bassili, J., & Smith, M. (1986). On the spontaneity of trait attribution: Converging evidence for the role of cognitive strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 239–245. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.50.2.239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1252–1265. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R., Vohs, K., & Tice, D. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 351–355. doi:10.2307/20183234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buhrmester, M., Kwang, T., & Gosling, S. (2011). Amazon’s Mechanical Turk: A new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3–5. doi:10.1177/1745691610393980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Çetin, B., Yaman, E., & Peker, A. (2011). Cyber victim and bullying scale: A study of validity and reliability. Computers & Education, 57, 2261–2271. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.06.014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christian, M., & Ellis, A. (2011). Examining the effects of sleep deprivation on workplace deviance: A self-regulatory perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 54, 913–934. doi:10.5465/amj.2010.0179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, S., Kemeny, M., Taylor, S., & Visscher, B. (1996). Elevated physical health risk among gay men who conceal their homosexual identity. Health Psychology, 15, 243–251. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.15.4.243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delaney, J. T., & Sockell, D. (1992). Do company ethics training programs make a difference? An empirical analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 11, 719–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dorris, D., Power, D., & Kenefick, E. (2012). Investigating the effects of ego depletion on physical exercise routines of athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13, 118–125. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2011.10.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, J. R., & Lambert, L. S. (2007). Methods for integrating moderation and mediation: a general analytical framework using moderated path analysis. Psychological Methods, 12, 1–22. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erskine, J. A. (2008). Resistance can be futile: Investigating behavioral rebound. Appetite, 50, 415–421. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.09.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erskine, J. A., Georgiou, G. J., & Kvavilashvili, L. (2010). I suppress, therefore I smoke effects of thought suppression on smoking behavior. Psychological Science, 21, 1225–1230.

  • Fernandes, M. F., & Randall, D. M. (1992). The nature of social desirability response effects in ethics research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 2, 183–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C., & Gresham, L. G. (1985). A contingency framework for understanding ethical decision making in marketing. Journal of Marketing, 49, 87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, P., Greitemeyer, T., & Frey, D. (2008). Self-regulation and selective exposure: the impact of depleted self-regulation resources on confirmatory information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 382–395. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.94.3.382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frederick, S., Loewenstein, G., & O’Donoghue, T. (2002). Time discounting and time preference: A critical review. Journal of Economic Literature, 40, 351–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gailliot, M., Baumeister, R., DeWall, N., Maner, J., Plant, A., Tice, D., et al. (2007). Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 325–336. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.2.325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gino, F., Schweitzer, M., Mead, N., & Ariely, D. (2011). Unable to resist temptation: How self-control depletion promotes unethical behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 115, 191–203. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.03.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, M., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2, 271–299.

  • Gunia, B., Wang, L., Huang, L., Wang, J., & Murnighan, J. (2012). Contemplation and conversation: Subtle influences on moral decision making. Academy of Management Journal, 55, 13–33. doi:10.5465/amj.2009.0873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagger, M., Wood, C., Stiff, C., & Chatzisarantis, N. (2010). Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 495–525. doi:10.1037/a0019486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and condition process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janoff-Bulman, R., Sheikh, S., & Hepp, S. (2009). Proscriptive versus prescriptive morality: Two faces of moral regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 521–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jewe, R. (2008). Do business ethics courses work? The effectiveness of business ethics education: An empirical study. Journal of Global Business Issues, 1, 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. (1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model. Academy of Management Review, 16, 366–395. doi:10.5465/AMR.1991.4278958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loewenstein, G. (1996). Out of control: Visceral influences on behavior. Organizational Behavioral and Human Decision Processes, 65, 272–292. doi:10.1006/obhd.1996.0028.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loewenstein, G. (2000). Willpower: A decision theorist’s perspective. Law and Philosophy, 19, 51–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mead, N., Baumeister, R., Gino, F., Schweitzer, M., & Ariely, D. (2009). Too tired to tell the truth: Self-control resource depletion and dishonesty. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 594–597. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2009.02.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, J. A., & Feldman, D. C. (1996). The dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of emotional labor. Academy of Management Review, 21, 986–1010.

  • Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126, 247–259. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.2.247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muraven, M., Tice, D., & Baumeister, R. (1998). Self-control as a limited resource: Regulatory depletion patterns. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 774–789. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.3.774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oaten, M., & Cheng, K. (2006). Improved self-control: The benefits of a regular program of academic study. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 28, 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polivy, J. (1998). The effects of behavioral inhibition: Integrating internal cues, cognition, behavior, and affect. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 181–204. doi:10.1207/s15327965pli0903_1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rest, J. (1986). Moral development: Advances in research and theory. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, S. (2006). Moral awareness and ethical predispositions: Investigating the role of individual differences in the recognition of moral issues. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 233–243. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, S. (2008). Moral attentiveness: who pays attention to the moral aspects of life? Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 1027–1041. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.93.5.1027.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, S., & Dang, D. (2015). Are the “customers” of business ethics courses satisfied? An examination of one source of business ethics education. Business and Society, 9, 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, J., Irani, L., Silberman, M., Zaldivar, A., & Tomlinson, B. (2010). Who are the crowdworkers? Shifting demographics in mechanical turk. CHI'10 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2863–2872.

  • Salkeld, L. (2009). Facebook bully jailed. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1208147/First-cyberbullyjailed-Facebook-death-threats.html#ixzz3rKFlwcE7.

  • Schmeichel, B., Vohs, K., & Baumeister, R. (2003). Intellectual performance and ego depletion: role of the self in logical reasoning and other information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 33–46. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.85.1.33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vohs, K., & Faber, R. (2007). Spent resources: Self-regulatory resource availability affects impulse buying. Journal of Consumer Research, 33, 537–547. doi:10.1086/510228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, J. (1990). Measuring the impact of teaching ethics to future managers: A review, assessment, and recommendations. Journal of Business Ethics, 9, 183–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner, D. M. (1994). Ironic processes of mental control. Psychological Review, 101, 34–52. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.101.1.34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner, D. M., & Erber, R. (1992). The hyperaccessibility of suppressed thoughts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 903–912. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.6.903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner, D. M., Schneider, D. J., Carter, S. R., & White, T. L. (1987). Paradoxical effects of thought suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 5–13. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.53.1.5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner, D. M. (2009). How to think, say, or do precisely the worst thing for any occasion. Science, 325, 48–50. doi:10.1126/science.1167346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenzlaff, R. M. (1993). The mental control of depression: Psychological obstacles to emotional well-being. In D. M. Wegner & J. W. Pennebaker (Eds.), Handbook of mental control. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenzlaff, R. M., & Bates, D. E. (2000). The relative efficacy of concentration and suppression strategies of mental control. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1200–1212. doi:10.1177/01461672000262003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenzlaff, R. M., & Wegner, D. M. (2000). Thought suppression. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 59–91. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.51.1.59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenzlaff, R. M., Wegner, D. M., & Roper, D. W. (1988). Depression and mental control: the resurgence of unwanted negative thoughts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 882–892. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.55.6.882.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yam, K. C., Bumpus, M. F., & Hill, L. G. (2012). Motivating effort: A theoretical synthesis of the self-sufficiency and two-market theories. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51, 709–716. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02067.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yam, K. C., Chen, X. P., & Reynolds, S. (2014a). Ego depletion and its paradoxical effect on ethical decision making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 124, 204–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yam, K. C., Fehr, R., Keng-Highberger, F., Klotz, A. & Reynolds, S. Out of control: A self-control perspective on the link between surface acting and abusive supervision. Journal of Applied Psychology. (in press).

  • Yam, K. C., & Reynolds, S. (2015). The effects of victim anonymity on unethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics.

  • Yam, K. C., Reynolds, S., & Hirsh, J. B. (2014b). The hungry thief: Physiological deprivation and its effect on unethical conduct. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 125, 123–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yap, A. J., Wazlawek, A. S., Lucas, B. J., Cuddy, A. J., & Carney, D. R. (2013). The ergonomics of dishonesty: The effect of incidental posture on stealing, cheating, and traffic violations. Psychological Science, 25, 1–9. doi:10.1177/0956797613492425095.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I thank Chris Barnes, Ryan Fehr, and Scott Reynolds for constructive comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management and Organization, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119077, Singapore

    Kai Chi Yam

Authors
  1. Kai Chi Yam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kai Chi Yam.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Experimental Manipulations

Ethics-Related Essay (Experiments 1, 3, and 4)

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, refers to the reflection upon moral actions. It is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The term comes from the Greek word ethos, which means “character.” Ethics is a complement to Aesthetics in the philosophy field of Axiology. In philosophy, ethics scholars study the moral behavior in humans, and how one should act.

According to Tomas Paul and Linda Elder of the Foundation for Critical Thinking, “most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs, and the law”, and don’t treat ethics as a stand-alone concept. Paul and Elder define ethics as “a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures.” The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word ethics is “commonly used interchangeably with ‘morality’…and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual.”

Ethics-Unrelated Essay: Biology (Experiments 1 and 4)

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Modern biology is a vast and eclectic field, composed of many branches and sub-disciplines. However, despite the broad scope of biology, there are certain general and unifying concepts within it which govern all study and research, consolidating it into single, coherent field. Biology generally recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the synthesis and creation of new species. It is also understood today that all organisms survive by consuming and transforming energy and by regulating their internal environment to maintain a stable and vital condition.

Sub-disciplines of biology are defined by the scale at which organisms are studied, the kinds of organisms studied, and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life; molecular biology studies the complex interactions among biological molecules; botany studies the biology of plants.

Ethics-Unrelated Essay: History (Experiment 3)

History is the study of the past, specifically how it relates to humans. It is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about these events. The term includes cosmic, geologic, and organic history, but is often generically implied to mean human history. Scholars who write about history are called historians. Events occurring prior to written record are considered prehistory.

History can also refer to the academic discipline which uses a narrative to examine and analyze a sequence of past events, and objectively determine the patterns of cause and effect that determine them. Historians sometimes debate the nature of history and its usefulness by discussing the study of the discipline as an end in itself and as a way of providing “perspective” on the problems of the present.

Appendix 2: Measures Used

Cyberbullying Scale (Experiment 1; α = 0.72; Çetin et al. 2011)

  • Rumoring on the Internet

  • Using nicknames on the Internet in a disturbing way

  • Using offensive symbols on the Internet

  • Mocking on the Internet

  • Making fun of shared information on the Internet

  • Writing offensive comments about news on websites

  • Using humiliating expressions on the Internet

Explicit Moral Awareness Scale (Experiment 3; α = 0.90; Reynolds, 2006)

  • There are very important ethical aspects to this task

  • This task could be described as a moral issue

  • This task clearly does not involve ethics or moral issues (reverse-coded)

Implicit Moral Awareness Scale (Experiment 4; Gino et al. 2011)

Instructions: Please complete the following word fragments with the first word that comes to your mind.

  • M_R A L

  • V I R__ES

  • E T H___

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yam, K.C. The Effects of Thought Suppression on Ethical Decision Making: Mental Rebound Versus Ego Depletion. J Bus Ethics 147, 65–79 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2944-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2944-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation