Exploring the effects of similarity in basic needs on moral judgment of characters

While affective disposition theory (ADT) claims that moral judgment of a character is the key mechanism underlying enjoyment, we often enjoy stories where characters violate our moral standards (morally ambiguous characters, or MACs). Initial research suggests that similarity between MACs and viewers (e.g. sharing ethnicity) may increase moral approval. However, the effect of internal similarity (similarity in higher-order human qualities) on moral judgment of MACs is underexplored. Humans share three basic psychological needs but are motivated by these needs to different degrees. Thus, similarity in degree of sensitivity to a given need is an internal quality that participants can share with MACs. The effect of similarity in basic needs on moral judgment of MACs is examined in a posttest-only experiment with 185 participants. Similarity in basic needs had a small effect on moral judgment of MACs as people, although it had no effect on judgment of a MAC’s behavior.