Moral Licensing

What Is Moral Licensing in Simple Terms?

Moral licensing is a psychological pattern in which people, after doing something they see as good, feel they have earned permission to do something bad.

Moral Licensing in Real Life

1. A person goes to the gym and then feels entitled to eat unhealthy food afterward.
2. A person quits a bad habit and then feels entitled to judge others who still have it.
3. A person recycles regularly and then feels excused for polluting the environment in some unrelated way, believing the recycling cancels out the harm.
4. A CEO donates to charity to appear ethical, using the donation to offset criticism of harmful practices elsewhere in their business.

Conclusion

Individuals license themselves to act less virtuously, based on the moral credit they believe their past actions have earned them.