Hear no evil? investigating relationships between mindfulness and moral disengagement at work

ABSTRACT To date, over forty-seven studies have examined the antecedents and outcomes of Moral Disengagement (MD) mechanisms used to rationalize unethical behavior. However, none have examined its relationship with mindful awareness, either as a trait or set of everyday applications. Our study (n = 253) demonstrates that trait mindfulness is negatively correlated with all MD mechanisms. The tendency to apply decentering and relaxation is positively correlated with all MD mechanisms while stopping and reappraisal trend toward positive relationships and savoring shows no correlation. We discuss potential reasons for these disparate relationships and implications for mindfulness-based interventions in the workplace.