AUTHOR=Goering Marlon , Espinoza Carlos N. , Mercier Alecia , Eason Emma K. , Johnson Charles W. , Richter Caroline G. 

TITLE=Moral identity in relation to emotional well-being: a meta-analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1346732

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1346732

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>This meta-analytic review surveyed previous empirical studies that examined links between moral identity and indicators of emotional well-being. Additionally, this meta-analysis examined cultural origin as a moderator, testing if links between moral identity and emotional well-being differ in collectivistic vs. individualistic countries.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A systematic literature review was conducted through ProQuest’s 65 databases and PubMed. A random-effect meta-analysis and subgroup analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 4.0 (CMA) software.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Drawing on 27 eligible studies, moral identity was associated with greater emotional well-being (<italic>r</italic> = 0.27, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Follow up analyses on individual dimensions showed medium effect sizes in links between moral identity and greater happiness or positive affect (<italic>r</italic> = 0.28, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), greater sense of purpose or meaning in life (<italic>r</italic> = 0.29, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), and higher self-esteem (<italic>r</italic> = 0.25, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Moreover, moral identity was associated with greater life satisfaction showing a small effect size (<italic>r</italic> = 0.15, <italic>p</italic> = 0.011). Results showed that effect sizes of links between moral identity and overall emotional well-being did not significantly differ by cultural origin. However, effect sizes tended to be larger in the nine studies that were conducted in collectivistic countries (<italic>r</italic> = 0.30, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) as compared to the 15 studies that were conducted in individualistic countries (<italic>r</italic> = 0.27, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>The results of this meta-analysis indicate a robust empirical relationship between moral identity and emotional well-being that is present across various dimensions of emotional well-being and in both individualistic and collectivistic cultures.</p></sec><sec><title>Systematic review registration</title><p><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://osf.io/94f8b/?view_only=6db54da0fa304c83993d0438ecb5c637" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://osf.io/94f8b/?view_only=6db54da0fa304c83993d0438ecb5c637</ext-link></p></sec>