Abstract
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 interindividual level than the intraindividual 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.