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Regular version of the site

Psychological aspects of moral regulation of economic behavior

The regular laboratory research seminar was held on January 22th. Alla Kupreychenko, a professor of Organizational Psychology department in Higher School of Economics, Ph.D. in Psychology, a member of EAWOP, a leading researcher at the laboratory of social and economic psychology, delivered a lecture “Psychological aspects of moral regulation of economic behavior”.

A. Kupreychenko mentioned interdisciplinary studies of cultural and religious, social and moral conditionality of economic behavior. Numerous studies demonstrate the practically important result: the fact that ethics and business (or other economic activity) coexist and influence each other. Certainly, economic activity could not be caused by only moral. Some external conditions such as the level of salary, prestige of profession or a company, may significantly affect the economic choice, but we cannot say that these are crucial factors. This statement is proved by some innovative economic programs, which have been not widespread in Russia yet (ex. ethical investing, development of ethical banks and funds, ethical consumption. In contrast to Russia, some European companies must comply with many ethical standards (exploitation of workers, environment pollution, etc.) to achieve the investment and production and high sales. Thus, the tendency to have higher incomes is not only motive which determine economic behavior.

A. Kupreychenko showed the results of empirical research. One of them was conducted in 1996-2009. The sample was more than 3,500 people. Research focused on a variety of moral and psychological components of economic self-determination which affect individual's economic activity. On the basis of empirical research a lot of practically important conclusions were done, for example, the existence of ambivalence (conflicting estimates) in these moral and psychological components. Such contradictions in values are not unusual and it affects, unfortunately, the economic activity of not only young people who just started their career, but experienced businessmen too.
Studies of A. Kupreychenko and colleagues are integrative, combining theoretical analysis and practical aspects. As a result, there were found some mechanisms of moral and social-psychological regulation of economic self-determination.

Marina Lazutkina
Trainee-researcher