When Good People Sexually Harass: The Role of Power and Moral Licensing
on Sexual Harassment Perceptions and Intentions
Abstract
History has shown that people who embody responsibility-focused power
have been credibly accused of sexual harassment (SH). We seek to
understand why. Drawing on Power-Approach Theory (Keltner et al., 2003)
and moral licensing theory (Effron & Monin, 2010) we present two
complementary studies examining how responsibility-focused power
triggers moral licensing, which, in turn, decreases perceptions of SH
(Study 1) and increases intentions to engage in SH (Study 2). In Study
1, 376 adults read scenarios of a man who embodies
responsibility-focused power, egocentric power, or low power and then
made moral crediting ratings (a form of moral licensing). Then they read
a case where the man had been accused of SH. SH judgments against the
responsibility-focused power holder, compared to others, were less
severe, and several effects were mediated by moral crediting. In Study
2, 310 adults were primed to experience responsibility-focused power or
low power. Responsibility-focused power increased SH intentions through
effects on communal feelings and moral crediting. This research develops
a new theoretical perspective on why SH occurs and why we deny
perceiving it. We provide practical recommendations for abating the
effects of power and moral licensing.