The motivational core of honesty

Understanding honesty requires going beyond surface-level behaviors (e.g., truth-telling) and uncovering the underlying goals and motives. We conducted four preregistered studies with Italian adults. In Study 1 (N = 250), we identified the goals of honesty (GH) and dishonesty (GD) through an exploratory inquiry. Study 2 (N = 300) developed a self-report questionnaire to assess GH and GD. Study 3 (N = 400) assessed the questionnaire's psychometric properties and ability to predict dishonest behavior. Study 4 (N = 189) used experience sampling to explore the interplay between GH, GD, and (dis)honest behaviors in daily life. Results reveal that GH and GD are distinct motivational tendencies, with GD being a stronger predictor of deceptive behavior than GH. Our findings support the validity of the GH/GD questionnaire as a valuable tool for investigating the motives behind (dis)honesty in both cross-sectional and intensive longitudinal studies.