Concern for the Transgressor’s Consequences: An Explanation for Why Wrongdoings Remain Unreported

The desire to protect transgressors from their consequences shapes reporting likelihood. Two experiments (Ns = 187; 375) show that entitativity reduces reporting wrongdoings. The underlying mechanism is perceptions of remorse. Imagining guilt encourages letting transgressors “off the hook.” Reporting to authority can be encouraged within tight-knit organizations is discussed.