Daily moral identity: Linkages with integrity and compassion

Objective: The present study investigated how much variability in moral identity scores is attributable to individual differences that are stable over time and how much variability reflects daily fluctuations.

Method: Participants (N = 138, M age = 25.11 years, SD = 10.77; 82% female) were asked to report the self-importance of three moral attributes (being honest, fair, and caring) once a day for 50 consecutive days. Ratings were decomposed into between- and within-person variability and analyzed in relation to individuals' self-reported feelings of integrity and compassion using hierarchical linear modelling.

Results: Daily measures of moral identity exhibited more between- than within-person variability (64% vs. 36%). Furthermore, feelings of integrity and compassion were more strongly positively correlated with moral identity on the inter-individual level than the intra-individual level.

Conclusion: Overall, findings suggest that moral identity has both trait- and state-like characteristics and might be best conceptualized as a characteristic adaptation evidencing both stability and change.