Predicting moral behavior based on moral intelligence and personality traits: The mediating role of the structure self-transcendence

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economic and Social Science, Bu Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2 Assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economics and Sciences Social, Bu- Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran

3 Associate professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

4 PhD. student in educational psychology, Faculty of Economics and Sciences Social, Bu- Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: This study was conducted to predict moral behavior based on moral intelligence and personality traits with the mediating role of the structure self-transcendence.
Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study included all students of Bu-Ali Sina University in the academic year of 2020-2021. The total sample size included 285  in this study and filled out Moral Behavior Scale, Moral intelligence Scale  and The HEXACO Personality Traits Scale. To analyze the data, path analysis with LISREL software were used.
Results: The results indicated that the proposed model fitted the experimental data (GFI=0.94, IFI= 0.93, CFI= 0.95). Results of regression coefficient analysis in structural equation modeling indicated that the effects of moral intelligence (β= 0.41, P< 0.01), honesty-humility (β= 0.27, P< 0.01), conscientiousness (β= 0.30, P< 0.01), and Openness to experience (β= 0.24, P< 0.01) on self-transcendence, and the effects of moral intelligence (β= 0.49, P< 0.01), honesty-humility (β= 0.25, P< 0.01), conscientiousness(β= 0.23, P< 0.01), and openness to experience (β= 0.21, P< 0.01), and self-transcendence (β= 0.43, P< 0.01) on moral behavior were positive and significant. The results of Sobel’s test (z) indicated that Self-transcendence variable have a significant mediating role in the relationship between Moral intelligence (Z= 7.30, P< 0.01), honesty-humility (Z= 5.29, P< 0.01), conscientiousness (Z= 4.61, P< 0.01), openness to experience (Z= 4.16, P< 0.01) with moral behavior.
Conclusion: It seems that self-transcendence have a mediating role in the relationship between moral intelligence and personality traits with moral behavior. In general, the results of the present study provide new implications in field of moral behavior in different situations.

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Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 23, Issue 4
July and August 2021
Pages 273-284

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