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

This study was conducted to predict moral behavior based on moral intelligence and personality traits with the mediating role of the structure self-transcendence.

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.

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.

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.