当今世界正在经历百年未有之大变局，受到一系列外部冲击因素的影响，全球经济正在经历着不稳定和波动的时期，这对于人们的心理和行为会造成什么样的影响，逐渐成为研究者关注的核心话题。本研究通过7个研究8个子研究（N = 1551），考察了经济不确定对个体不道德行为的影响，并探究了其心理机制及个体差异。研究共包括三个部分：（1）经济不确定与不道德行为的关系。研究1a和研究1b通过实验研究探究了个体的经济不确定影响其对他人和自己不道德行为的接受程度，研究2通过跨时间的测量，探究了个体感受到的国家经济不确定和个人经济不确定与不道德行为的关系。（2）经济不确定影响不道德行为的心理机制——控制感的中介作用。研究3~5分别通过回忆启动范式（研究3）、虚拟社会范式（研究4、研究5）探究高经济不确定条件下的个体与低经济不确定条件下的个体在不道德行为倾向上的差异，并考察了控制感的中介效应。此外，研究4和研究5分别在中国文化下和美国文化下对假设进行验证。（3）经济不确定通过控制感影响不道德行为的个体差异。研究6通过相关研究，探究经济不确定通过控制感影响不道德行为中，不确定性容忍度的个体差异。研究7通过阅读材料范式的实验研究，再次探究个体差异的效应。研究结果发现：（1）主观经济不确定增加了个体的不道德行为；（2）经济不确定影响个体不道德行为中，控制感具有中介作用，个体的经济不确定越高，控制感越低，从而有更高的不道德行为倾向；（3）经济不确定通过控制感影响不道德行为存在个体差异，对于低不确定性容忍度的个体而言，经济不确定通过控制感影响不道德行为的效应更大。研究有助于理解在全球化经济发展下人们在不确定环境中的道德行为产生及其规律，为提高社会的道德水平和经济政策制定提供依据。

The contemporary era is currently witnessing unprecedented transformations, which are the result of a plethora of exogenous shocks. The worldwide economic system is currently facing a period of instability and volatility, which has captured the attention of scholars who seek to examine how this will affect the psyche and conduct of individuals. This has emerged as a central research topic for academics. Through 7 studies and 8 sub-studies (N = 1551), this study aimed to investigate the impact of economic uncertainty on individual unethical behavior, and to analyze the underlying psychological mechanisms and individual differences associated with this phenomenon.

The present research comprised three distinct components. The first part aimed to investigate the association between economic uncertainty and unethical behavior. Study 1a and 1b employed experimental research methods to examine the influence of individual economic uncertainty on the acceptance of unethical behaviors, both in oneself and others. Study 2, on the other hand, utilized a cross-time measurement to explore the relationship between individual perceived national economic uncertainty, individual economic uncertainty, and unethical behaviors. The second part aimed to elucidate the psychological mechanism by which economic uncertainty impacts unethical behavior, specifically, the mediating role of sense of control. Studies 3 to 5 utilized a recall priming paradigm (study 3) and a virtual social paradigm (study 4 and study 5) to explore the differences in unethical behavior tendency between individuals under high and low economic uncertainty, and examined the mediating effect of sense of control. Additionally, studies 4 and 5 tested the hypothesis under Chinese and American cultures, respectively. The third part aimed to investigate the individual differences in how economic uncertainty affects unethical behavior through sense of control. Study 6 examined individual differences in tolerance of uncertainty when economic uncertainty affects unethical behavior through sense of control through correlational study, while study 7 explored the effects of individual differences through an experimental study using the reading material paradigm.

The results of the study showed that: (1) Economic uncertainty increased individual unethical behavior; (2) The sense of control played a mediating role in the relationship between economic uncertainty and unethical behavior. Individuals with higher levels of economic uncertainty had lower levels of sense of control, resulting in a greater tendency towards unethical behavior; (3) Individual differences exist in the influence of subjective economic uncertainty on unethical behavior through sense of control. For individuals with low tolerance of uncertainty, economic uncertainty has a greater effect on unethical behavior through sense of control. The study contributes to the understanding of the patterns of ethical behavior in uncertain environments, as well as its implications in the context of globalization and economic development. The findings provide a basis for improving the ethical standards of society and guiding economic policy-making.