The Relationship between Domain-Specific Identity and Moral Conviction

The current research investigated identity as a possible motivator of moral conviction by directly comparing how much people reported that their attitudes were reflections of personal identity versus social identity (i.e. “domain-specific identity”) predicted the degree to which they also reported that these attitudes were moral convictions. Across two studies, domain-specific personal identity uniquely predicted moral conviction, but domain-specific social identity did not. This result held across different issues and after controlling for a variety of covariates. The results also did not vary as a function of individualistic versus collectivistic mindset (Study 2). Findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for explaining certain aspects of moral conviction (given a relationship with domain-specific personal identity), as well as implications for moralization processes and buffering threats to the self.