The way 'good' people explain away bad behaviour is called 'moral licensing' — here's what it means

Psychologically, we believe we can balance out our less favourable actions because we have been good in the past. Most of us like to think our moral compass is more or less intact. In a study from Stanford University, which was published in the online journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass, the researchers write that moral licensing happens when individuals face the ethical uncertainties of social life.