危險的道德優越感 有罪的囚犯也不例外

Many of us think we are harder working, more intelligent and better drivers than the average person.

我們當中有很多人認爲自己比一般人更努力、更聰明而且駕駛技術更嫺熟。

We also think we are morally superior.

我們還認爲，自己在道德上更勝一籌。

A 2014 study found that even convicted prisoners thought they were morally better — not just than the average prisoner but than the average person outside.

2014年的一項研究發現，就連被判有罪的囚犯都認爲自己在道德上更優秀，不僅好於一般的囚犯，還超過監獄外的一般人。

The study, at a prison in the south of England, asked inmates to rate themselves against the average prisoner and the average member of the community for traits such as morality, kindness, honesty, self-control and being law-abiding.

這項研究是在英格蘭南部的一所監獄展開的，它請囚犯們在道德、善良、誠實、自控和遵紀守法等特質方面，把自己與普通囚犯和普通社區成員進行比較。

Although the convicts were serving sentences for violence, robbery, drug offences and burglary, they rated themselves as virtuous.

儘管這些罪犯正因暴力、搶劫、吸毒和盜竊服刑，但他們認爲自己是品行端正的。

Only on one trait did they think they were not superior to the average non-prisoner: being law-abiding.

他們只在一種特質上不認爲自己優於那些沒有犯法的普通人：遵紀守法。

They felt they and people outside were equally law-abiding.

他們認爲，自己和監獄外的人一樣守法。

Now a new study in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal has shown that people, this time in the non-prison population, think they are more just and virtuous than average.

現在，《社會心理和人格科學》(Social Psychological and Personality Science)期刊發表的一項新研究顯示，人們（這次是監獄外的人羣）認爲，他們比一般人更公正和品德高尚。

But it goes on to pose an interesting question: can people’s sense of moral superiority lead them to behave dishonestly?

但這篇論文接着提出了一個有趣的問題：人們的道德優越感會不會導致他們做出不誠實的行爲？

The researchers, Ben Tappin and Ryan McKay of Royal Holloway, University of London, say previous studies provide competing answers on this issue.

倫敦大學(University of London)皇家霍洛威學院(Royal Holloway)的研究員本.塔平(Ben Tappin)和瑞恩.麥凱(Ryan McKay)表示，之前的研究就這個問題給出了相互對立的答案。

Some research has found that the illusion of moral superiority can lead people to behave badly because, like the prisoners in the first study, they think they really are, deep down, good people.

一些研究發現，道德優越感的幻覺可能導致人們做出糟糕的行爲，因爲與第一項研究中的囚犯一樣，他們認爲，自己在內心深處真的是好人。

Other research shows that to the extent that people value belief-behaviour consistency, people who think they are honest behave honestly.

還有一些研究表明，從人們重視言行一致的角度來說，那些認爲自己誠實的人會做出誠實的行爲。

We defer to future research to test these hypotheses, the Royal Holloway study says.

皇家霍洛威學院的研究稱：我們交給未來的研究來測試這些假說。

I was, however, struck by the first hypothesis because I thought it might explain a puzzle: why do companies that believe themselves to be ethically virtuous find themselves doing unvirtuous things?

然而，第一種假說讓我印象深刻，因爲我認爲，它或許可以解釋一個謎題：爲什麼認爲自己注重道德的企業，會發現自己做着不高尚的事情？

Two examples are the banks HSBC and Wells Fargo, which have both found themselves in trouble.

兩個例子是匯豐銀行(HSBC)和富國銀行(Wells Fargo)，它們都發現自己陷入了麻煩。

Last year, HSBC confessed that the tax evasion scandal at its Swiss private banking arm was a source of shame.

去年，匯豐坦承，其瑞士私人銀行的逃稅醜聞是羞恥之源。

The scandal was all the more striking because Stephen Green, HSBC’s previous boss, had written a book called Good Value: Reflections on Money, Morality and an Uncertain World.

這樁醜聞更加引人關注的原因是匯豐前任首席執行官葛霖(Stephen Green，見上圖)曾寫過一本名爲《優秀價值觀：反思金錢、道德和不確定世界》(Good Value: Reflections on Money, Morality and an Uncertain World)的著作。

Wells Fargo admitted this year that its staff had tried to meet their sales targets by setting up accounts for customers without their consent.

富國銀行今年承認，其員工曾試圖在客戶不知情的情況下爲客戶開立賬戶，以達到自己的銷售目標。

Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway, Wells Fargo’s biggest shareholder, described it as a great bank that made a terrible mistake.

富國銀行最大股東伯克希爾哈撒韋公司(Berkshire Hathaway)掌門人沃倫.巴菲特(Warren Buffett)稱其爲一家犯下嚴重錯誤的偉大銀行。

There are possible explanations for these falls from grace.

這些墮落故事可能有一些合乎情理的解釋。

HSBC had acquired its Swiss bank and said it had not integrated it properly.

匯豐收購了其瑞士銀行，但該行表示沒有整合好。

Wells Fargo appeared to be a classic case of financial incentives distorting employees’ behaviour.

富國銀行似乎是金錢激勵扭曲員工行爲的典型案例。

But I wondered about the better than average research cited above.

但上面提到的好於一般人的研究讓我感到好奇。

Could the illusion of moral superiority apply to organisations as well as individuals? And could companies believe they were so superior morally that the occasional lapse into immorality did not matter much? The Royal Holloway researchers said they had recently conducted experiments examining just these issues and were preparing to publish the results.

道德優越感的幻覺是否既適用於個人也適用於公司？公司是否有可能認爲，自己在道德上優於其他企業，因此偶爾的故態復萌並不重要？皇家霍洛威學院的研究人員表示，他們最近做了一些實驗，考察了這些問題，並準備發表結果。

They had found that political groups with a sense of moral superiority felt justified in behaving aggressively towards opponents.

他們發現，具有道德優越感的政治集團認爲自己有理由對對手做出咄咄逼人的行爲。

In experiments, this meant denying them a monetary benefit.

在實驗中，這意味着不讓對手獲得金錢利益。

It isn’t difficult to imagine a similar scenario arising in a competitive organisational context.

在競爭性的組織背景下想象一副類似的場景並不困難。

To the extent that employees may perceive their organisation to be morally superior to other organisations, they might feel licensed to ‘cut corners’ or behave somewhat unethically — for example, to give their organisation a competitive edge.

就員工可能認爲自己所在公司在道德上優於其他公司而言，他們可能認爲自己有權‘走捷徑’或做出某種不道德行爲，例如，爲了讓自己的公司獲得一種競爭優勢。

These behaviours may be perceived as justified . . . or even ethical, insofar as they promote the goals of their morally superior organisation, they told me.

這些研究人員告訴我：這些行爲可能被視爲合情合理……甚至合乎道德，因爲這些行爲有利於實現他們所在的道德優越公司的目標。

In explaining its behaviour, HSBC suggested that inquiring too closely into its customers’ tax affairs might have led to them taking their business elsewhere.

匯豐在解釋其行爲時暗示，過多地詢問其客戶的稅收事宜可能會讓客戶把業務轉往其他銀行。

The Wells Fargo incentives were originally put in place to drive the opening of new accounts, which would have given the bank an advantage over its competitors.

富國銀行的激勵舉措最初是爲了推動開設新賬戶，這原本會賦予該行相對於競爭對手的優勢。

What both cases show is that the illusion of moral superiority can be dangerous.

這兩個案例表明，道德優越感的幻覺可能是危險的。

A company that believes it embodies ethical virtue can develop blindness to its lapses.

認爲自己體現高尚道德的公司，可能會無視其過失。

It can begin to think that, as it is a force for good in the world, anything that it does to advance itself must be good, too.

它可能會開始認爲，既然自己是世界上的仁義力量，任何增進自己利益的行爲都必定是善舉。

When it emerges that outsiders, or regulators, do not see it that way, the institutions and their supporters often conclude that this is a rare deviation from goodness.

當外部人士或監管者不這麼認爲時，這些公司及其支持者往往會總結稱，那是罕見的偏離善舉的行爲。

It may be, but the damage can be far-reaching and long-lasting.

或許是這樣，但其損害可能是深遠和長久的。

Maintaining a corporate reputation is a daily task, however virtuous you think you are.

維護公司的聲譽是一項日常任務，不管你認爲它的品德有多麼高尚。