Moral Credential Effect

The moral credential effect is a cognitive bias that allows a person who has a good record as an honest, egalitarian individual and has built up such a good reputation that as they grow older it may increase the likelihood of less ethical behavior at a later time. For instance, a person may start saying to themselves, "I've been honest and hard-working all of my life and now life owes me."

For instance, a person who has always been a law-abiding driver may decide that it's OK for them to break traffic laws in small ways since they have always obeyed them before.