Advantageous Comparison

Advantageous comparison, one of several cognitive mechanisms of moral disengagement, minimizes the perceived harm of one’s own actions by comparing them favorably to more egregious actions, making the behavior seem less wrong or harmful. For example, a company justifies questionable business practice by pointing out one a competitor’s even more unethical practices. It works through these tactics: 

• Contrast principle of being influenced by what your actions are compared against. 
• Trivialization contrasts behavior with something worse, effectively trivializing their own actions. 
• Moral justification allows individuals to rationalize unethical behavior and avoid guilt or censure.