The ethics literature has identified moral motivation as a factor in ethical decision-making. Furthermore, moral identity
has been identified as a source of moral motivation. In the current study, we examine religiosity as an antecedent to moral
identity and examine the mediating role of self-control in this relationship. We find that intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions
of religiosity have different direct and indirect effects on the internalization and symbolization dimensions of moral identity.
Specifically, intrinsic religiosity plays a role in counterbalancing the negative impact of extrinsic religiosity on the internalization
of moral identity. Further, intrinsic religiosity also counterbalances the negative and indirect impact of extrinsic religiosity
on symbolization of moral identity via self-control. Lastly, self-control does not play a mediating role in the impact of
religiosity on the internalization dimension of moral identity. We conclude that this study presents important findings that
advance our understanding of the antecedents of moral identity, and that these results may have implications for the understanding
of ethical decision-making.
Keywords ethics - religiosity - moral identity - self-control