Predicting Ethical Decision Making in Nigeria: The Roles of Others’ Compassion and Social Dominance Orientation

Ethical decision making is a fundamental aspect of human life that impact individuals, their professional lives as well as societal well-being. Ethical decision making is a catalyst for success, peaceful co-existence, and over-all development of a nation. It seem to be, however, that such decision makings lack in many speres and societies of the world and that such is the reason for seeming oppression and dehumanization that characterize many societies of the world.

This study investigated the roles of others’ compassion and social dominance orientation in making ethical decisions and the study was carried out among the residents of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State and Ile Ife, Osun State using a total of 276 participants.

The Social Dominance Orientation Scale by Pratto el. al. [1], as validated by Aichholzer and Lechner [2], the Santa Clara Ethics Scale by Plante (2004), and the Compassion for Others Scale by Pommier (2011) were respectively used to measure Social Dominance Orientation, Ethical Decision making and Compassion for others.

The hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis and independent samples’ t-test.

The study showed that compassion for others is significant in predicting ethical decision making [F(6,269)=13.506, p<.05]. The study also found out that people with lower social dominance orientation (X = 32.3669) are significantly highly prone to making ethical decisions than those with high social dominance orientation (X = 31.1215), t = -2.097, df = 274, p <.05. It was also found out that both social dominance orientation and compassion for others significantly jointly predict ethical decision making [F(2,273) =28.561, p < .05]. Findings from the study also revealed that three (3) of the six dimensions of compassion for others i.e kindness (being caring towards others) (β =.24, t= 3.853, p <.05), common humanity (recognizing that all people experience hardship and a sense of connection to those who are suffering) (β =.36, t = 6.259, p <.05), and separation (a cognitive understanding and sense of pity towards others’ sufferings characterized by extreme isolation and distancing) (β =.14, t = 2.314, p <.05) individually predicted ethical decision making among participants while mindfulness (a balanced awareness that neither avoids nor gets lost in others’ pains) (a (β =-.02, t= -03.387, p >.05), indifference (an emotional response that avoids being judgemental) (β =-.07, t = -1.206, p >.05), and disengagement (avoidance of others’ pains rather than being over-identified with it) (β =.03, t = -0.570, p >.05) dimensions did not. It was found out that male participants (X = 32.1215) do not significantly differ in ethical decision making from their female counterparts (X = 31.7414), t = 0.639, df = 274, p >.05.

Findings were therefore discussed in line with existing literature and it was recommended that Nigerians should be cognitively re-oriented for value appreciation. It is strongly believed that teaching Nigerians the importance of a sense of community will bring about positive changes in their inter-relationships with others and cause inhabitants to relate as one, and consequently promote their empathy, sympathy, and genuine concern towards one another.