Oct 10

Oct 10 Lesson Fifty-Five: Moral License

There is a lot of psychology that factors into climate action - an individual’s moral license being a major one.

We’re going to tackle this fun psychological occurrence lesson by answering:

What is moral licensing?
What are examples of moral licensing?
How do you combat moral licensing when it comes to climate action?

WHAT IS MORAL LICENSING?

By definition: Moral licensing is when past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviours that are unethical or problematic.

In other words: When you rationalize doing something “bad” because you’ve done “good” things.

This psychological bargaining leads people to believe that they can balance our their “bad” behaviour because they were “good” in the past. But that “bad” action still happens.

Let’s look at some examples 👉🏼

WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF MORAL LICENSING?

Everyday Examples:

“I just sent out a long email so I’m going to check Insta for the next 20 min.”
“I don’t feel bad eating an entire tub of ice cream because I had an awesome workout today.”
“I can drink more now because I quit smoking.”

Environmental Examples:

“I own a hybrid car, so it’s okay if I don’t recycle.”
“I work in the solar industry, so it doesn’t matter if I fly everywhere for business.”
“I donate to Greenpeace, so I don’t feel bad for using plastic bags at the store.”

HOW TO COMBAT MORAL LICENSING?

Avoiding moral licensing can be tackled by simply doing two things:

BEING AWARE: Just being aware of moral licensing can be an effective way to notice it, and counter it.

TAKING A PAUSE: Normally, our brains respond instinctively or intuitively. Taking a second before acting can curb an impulsive decision which may not be as helpful to the planet.