Defensive responses to transgressions can have a negative impact on decision‐making within government and organizations, on relationships, and even an individual’s well‐being. Transgressors who are defensive are less likely to acknowledge or appreciate the extent of harm caused, and their responsibility in having contributed to it or in helping to repair it. It is therefore important to understand what situational factors increase or reduce defensiveness and, thus, offer solutions for those trying to foster responsibility‐taking by individuals in relationships, organizations, and society. This paper presents two studies exploring what underpins defensive responses in the context of transgressions. In Study 1 (N = 202), participants recalled an interpersonal transgression, and in Study 2 (N = 143), omnivorous participants watched a guilt‐eliciting documentary about meat production practices. Both studies demonstrate that defensiveness increases in response to social/moral threat. Further, Study 2 demonstrates that this defensiveness can be reduced by addressing the underlying threat to social/moral identity via value affirmation, encouraging moral engagement, and repair.

中文翻译：

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错误行为后道德/社会认同威胁和肯定对心理防御的影响

对违法行为采取防御性措施可能会对政府和组织内部的决策，关系甚至个人的福祉产生负面影响。具防御性的违法者不太可能意识到或欣赏所造成的损害的程度，以及对其作出贡献或帮助进行修复的责任。因此，重要的是要了解哪些情境因素会增加或降低防御能力，从而为那些试图在关系，组织和社会中促进个人承担责任的人提供解决方案。本文提出了两项​​研究，探讨了在犯罪背景下防御反应的基础。在研究1（N  = 202）中，参与者回忆起人际交往，在研究2（N = 143），杂食性参与者观看了有关肉类生产实践的内式纪录片。两项研究都表明，防御能力随着对社会/道德威胁的反应而增强。此外，研究2表明，可以通过价值确认，鼓励道德参与和修复来解决对社会/道德认同的潜在威胁，从而降低防御能力。