Prosocial Rule-Breakers and the Law

<p>Dive into the forefront of legal socialization research with this groundbreaking study challenging the prevailing definition of rule-breaking as exclusively harmful or antisocial behavior. While legal socialization models traditionally focus on preventing criminal behavior this research recognizes the need to distinguish prosocial rule-breaking-motivated by intentions aligned with societal benefits-from its antisocial counterpart.</p><p><br></p><p>Across three studies the author introduces a novel scale measuring moral and legal alignment validating the distinction between morality and legality. Study 1 lays the foundation with the development of this unique scale. In Study 2 the scale's validation continues demonstrating its predictive ability within the integrated cognitive model of legal socialization. Employing a cross-sectional within-subjects experimental design Study 2 differentiates between prosocial and antisocial rule-breaking revealing the nuanced predictors according to the integrated cognitive model and the procedural justice model of legal socialization.</p>