Mechanisms Of Moral Disengagement Research Articles

Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Used to Justify School Violence in Sicilian Primary School.

This study investigated the mechanisms of moral disengagement most commonly used to justify school violence in Sicilian primary school. The main objective of this study was to analyze the mechanisms of moral disengagement that are set in motion by those involved in situations of school violence (victims, aggressors, and bystanders) in Sicilian primary school. Likewise, the differences by gender and age are investigated. A total of 113 subjects in primary school were recruited (56.6% girls). The ages ranged from 8 to 11 (M = 9.56, SD = 0.99). The first scale used was the Bullying Inventory by Olweus (1993) in the Italian translation by Genta, Menesini, Fonzi, Costabile, and Smith (1996) and the questionnaire on moral disengagement developed by Caprara, Barbaranelli, Vicino, and Bandura (1996) is also used. The regression analysis showed that the sociodemographic variables and the mechanisms of moral disengagement are different depending on a person’s role (aggressor, victim, or bystander). Moral justification predicted the role of victim in school violence, dehumanization predicted the role of the aggressor (and gender), and the disclosure of responsibility (and dehumanization) predicted the role of the bystander in school violence. The conclusions of this study will facilitate the prevention of school violence, for example, by promoting social integration and minimizing situations of school violence (emphasizing morality, ethics, etc.), thereby establishing balanced and satisfactory interpersonal relationships.

Situationally Selective Activation of Moral Disengagement Mechanisms in School Bullying: A Repeated Within-Subjects Experimental Study.

With reference to social–cognitive theory, the aim of the present study was to examine whether school students’ tendency to display different moral disengagement mechanisms varies according to different social cues in hypothetical events in which they are engaged in bullying behavior. A repeated within-subjects experimental design was adopted. A total of 706 Swedish students (aged 10–20) from 75 classrooms responded to four verbal bullying vignettes by filling out a self-report survey. The results showed changes in moral disengagement mechanisms across the bullying situations. For instance, moral justification, victim blaming, and dehumanization scored higher in the mean victim condition and lower in the likable victim condition than in the other two conditions. Diffusion of responsibility was higher in the group conformity condition than in the other conditions. The findings also revealed differences in the levels of moral disengagement mechanisms within the bullying conditions. For example, euphemistic labeling and displacement of responsibility scored higher than the other mechanisms in the laughing audience condition. Victim blaming scored higher than the other mechanisms in the mean victim condition. Dehumanization, victim blaming, and moral justification scored lowest while euphemistic labeling was higher than most of the other mechanisms in the likable victim condition.

Reconceptualizing Moral Disengagement as a Process: Transcending Overly Liberal and Overly Conservative Practice in the Field

Moral disengagement was initially conceptualized as a process through which people reconstrue unethical behaviors, with the effect of deactivating self-sanctions and thereby clearing the way for ethical transgressions. Our article challenges how researchers now conceptualize moral disengagement. The current literature is overly liberal, in that it mixes two related but distinct constructs—process moral disengagement and the propensity to morally disengage—creating ambiguity in the findings. It is overly conservative, as it adopts a challengeable classification scheme of “four points in moral self-regulation” and perpetuates defining moral disengagement via a set of eight psychological mechanisms, narrowing our understanding of the phenomenon. To address these problems, we propose to define process moral disengagement intensionally (specifying the necessary and sufficient conditions for correct application of the term) as intrapsychic cognitive reasoning processes through which people selectively reconstrue a moral judgment “behavior B by actor A is morally wrong” and shift it toward becoming “behavior B is not morally wrong” or “actor A is not responsible for behavior B.” This definition achieves disambiguation and increased concept clarity. We leverage the definition to motivate a classification scheme for psychological mechanisms of moral disengagement along two dimensions—reconstruing morality and reconstruing agency—and to initiate an open inventory of psychological mechanisms that specify how process moral disengagement operates.

Violent Extremism and Moral Disengagement: A Study of Colombian Armed Groups.

Violent extremism is commonly conditioned by a variety of psychological processes and mechanisms that when activated or deactivated aid implication in extreme behavior, including destructive actions with a large dose of cruelty against people and groups. One of those processes is moral disengagement, which was originally postulated by Bandura. To test this relationship, the present research focused on studying these mechanisms in members of Colombian illegal armed groups. Total sample size was 18 (14 males and four females) demobilized members of the Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia [AUC]) and guerrilla organizations (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [FARC], National Liberation Army [ELN], among others), which had participated directly or indirectly in violent actions against people and groups, which included murders, tortures, and massacres. Qualitative methodology was used, specifically in-depth interviews and content analysis. This analysis led to the verification in the narratives of the participants of the use of all the mechanisms of moral disengagement described by Bandura aiming to justify their behavior within the armed group. The most noteworthy mechanisms were those that minimized participation (especially, attributing behavior to obeying orders: displacement of responsibility) and moral justification, especially, the context of confrontation. Moral disengagement processes are found in armed group members (such as insurgency, terrorist organizations, or militias). These mechanisms cancel ordinary psychological reactions of rejection, fear, and moral controls that oppose the carrying out of cruelty and extreme violence.

Dark tourism and moral disengagement in liminal spaces

Dark tourism, which deploys taboo subjects and commercially exploits the macabre, has always raised moral conflicts at a collective and individual level while providing new spaces in which morality is communicated, reconfigured and revitalized. Although earlier studies in dark tourism have focused upon the collective notions of morality with a considerable amount of discussion on the comprehension and the manner in which the history and information of dark tourist attractions are presented for tourist consumption, the individual differences of tourist morality and how tourists morally engage with death and its various forms of representation, has been neglected. In order to understand morally transgressive behavior displayed by tourists at emotionally sensitive or controversial sites and the various ways they justify their actions, the narratives of international tourists who are interested in death-related rituals at a cremation ground in India were collected and analyzed. Drawing upon a socio-cognitive theory, the moral mechanisms involved in tourist judgment towards photography of death-related rituals are discussed. It was observed that the cremation ground offers a liminal space for tourists to exercise their moral agency in an inhibitive form, as well as proactive form and that transgressive behavior among tourists is likely if they disengage from processes related to moral conduct using various moral disengagement mechanisms. This behavior arises due to an obscuring and fragmentation of human agency during moral disengagement thereby making it possible for tourists to not take ownership of the consequences of their actions.

PECULIARITIES OF MORAL DISENGAGEMENT MECHANISMS REALIZATION IN ADOLESCENCE

Relevance. The spread of deviant behavior and violations of moral norms by adolescents increases in the transitive informational society with high variability of socialization forms and moral standards. These violations are declaratively accepted by teenagers while they maintain a positive moral self-esteem. The implementation of behavior that goes beyond the boundaries of accepted moral standards indicates a violation of moral self-regulation associated with a special attitude to one’s act according to the type of moral alienation. A. Bandura proposed a model to justify immoral behavior where moral disengagement mechanisms are highlighted, providing support for positive self-esteem and self-respect. The selected moral disengagement mechanisms are actively used in adolescents to explain their own and other people’s immoral behavior. Objective: to determine the characteristics of the preferences of moral disengagement mechanisms in adolescence and youth. Research goals: analysis of preferences of the moral disengagement mechanisms, age dynamics analysis of moral disengagement mechanisms, gender differences analysis of preferences of the moral disengagement mechanisms, analysis of the psychometric parameters of the questionnaire of moral disengagement mechanisms. The following methods were used in the study: the method of moral disengagement mechanisms by S. Moore in the Russian-language adaptation by Ledova Ya.A. and colleagues, the methodology “Justice and care” (author S.V. Molchanov). Participants. The study involved 551 adolescents aged 14 to 17 where 346 (62.8%) were boys and 205 (37.2%) were girls. It also surveyed 230 senior students of universities. The following results were obtained: the characteristics of preferences were analyzed and a hierarchy of mechanisms of moral disengagement mechanisms was identified; various groups were distinguished by the nature of preferences of moral disengagement mechanisms; age dynamics of preferences of moral disengagement mechanisms were determined ;gender differences in the preferences of moral disengagement mechanisms are highlighted; the psychometric parameters of the used methodology were analyzed; the possibilities of its use was demonstrated.

Близкие межличностные отношения с родителями и сверстникам и в подростковом возрасте как фактор обращения к моральному самооправданию

The aim of the study was to investigate the link between the characteristics of close interpersonal relationships of adolescents in the family and with peers and the preferred mechanisms of moral self-justification. The data consists of 411 adolescences aged from 15 to 17 (Me=15,7; SD=0,7), 278 (67,6%) are men and 133 (32,4%) are women. 3 questionnaires were used: the adapted in Russian moral disengagement questionnaire by C. Moore, the questionnaire of attachment to mother in adolescence. By M. Yaremchuk, the questionnaire of attachment to parents and peers (the form about peers attachment) by G. Armsden and M. Greenberg). Results allowed to define preferred moral disengagement mechanisms. Three strategies of moral freedom were defined: active users, passive users and strategy focused on distortion of victim image. Identified moral freedom strategies are linked with the attachment to the mother and close relations with peers. Adolescents with secure mother attachment and trust, success in communication with peers are less active use moral disengagement mechanisms. Rejection, low trust level and low success in communication correlates with active use of moral disengagement mechanisms.

DOPİNGDE AHLAKTAN UZAKLAŞMA ÖLÇEĞİNİN TÜRK KÜLTÜRÜNE UYARLANMASI: GEÇERLİK VE GÜVENİRLİK ÇALIŞMASI

The aim of this study is to adapt the Moral Disengagement in Doping – MDDS developed by Kavussanu, Hatzigeorgiadis, Elbe ve Ring(2016) and evaluate its psychometric properties. The study group consisted of 264 athletes from 32 different sports branches and aged between 17-31. The average age of the athletes is 19.25 ± 1.96 and the average sport experience is 4.85 ± 3.15 years. 41.7% (n = 110) of the athletes are female and 58.3% (n = 154) are male.The MDDS validated with CFA. Fit indices values for all parameters were found to be excellent (Chi-square/df=1,44; RMSEA=0,041; GFI=0,99; AGFI=0,96; CFI=1,00; NNFI=0,99; SRMR=0,027). As a result, the reliability of the Turkish version of the MDDS is high enough, convergent and concurrent validity parameters are at acceptable levels. It can be said that researchers in Turkey who want to determine the moral disengagement mechanism in doping could be utilized this scale.

Moral Disengagement in Emerging Adults’ Attitudes towards the Colombian Peace Accords

In the framework of Colombia’s peace process, we explore the moral disengagement in the attitudes of Colombians from Cali towards the first version of the Peace Accords. To achieve this, we conducted 12 in-depth interviews with emerging adults. Participant characteristics considered in the study include how they voted in the 2016 peace referendum, age, sex, socioeconomic status and educational level. The transcripts were analyzed through a content analysis applying consensual qualitative research (CQR) guidelines and considering the identity markers mentioned above. The results show that most participants’ discourse presented moral disengagement mechanisms. However, the morality in their attitudes is not adequately comprehended by only analyzing traces of moral disengagement. Other moral elements must be considered, especially since morality appears to be an important aspect of the participants’ attitudes towards topics related to the peace accords. Social implications are discussed.

Offensive acts and helping behavior on the internet: An analysis of the relationships between moral disengagement, empathy and use of social media in a sample of Italian students

The phenomenon of cyberbullying is on the rise among adolescents and in schools. To evaluate the relationship between personality characteristics such as empathy, the tendency to implement cognitive mechanisms aimed at moral disengagement, and the use of social media. Italian students from first to fifth year in high school classes (n = 264). A questionnaire was used to gather information on the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, their use of social media, their level of empathy (Basic Empathy Scale, BES), and mechanisms of moral disengagement (Moral Disengagement Scale MDS). Two questions were included to determine whether each participant had ever been a victim of or witness to cyberbullying. Results suggest that offensive behaviors are related to mechanisms of moral disengagement and to interaction using forms of communication that allow anonymity. In addition, offensive behavior appears to be related to forms of Internet addiction, while prosocial behavior is linked with cognitive empathy. In order to promote the establishment of prosocial behavior, it would seem necessary for the various players involved - schools, parents, social network developers - to make an effort to implement educational environments and virtual social networks based on a hypothesis of "design for reflection", educating young people about the need to take the time to understand their feelings and relationships expressed via social media.

Moral Disengagement of Pure Bullies and Bully/Victims: Shared and Distinct Mechanisms.

The vast majority of adolescents recognize that bullying is morally wrong, yet bullying remains a problem in secondary schools, indicating young people may disengage from their moral values to engage in bullying. But it is unclear whether the same mechanisms enabling moral disengagement are active for bully/victims (who both bully and are bullied) as for pure bullies (who are not targets of bullying). This study tested the hypotheses that mechanisms of moral disengagement, including blaming the victim and minimizing the impact of bullying, may operate differently in bully/victims compared to pure bullies. From a sample of 1895 students from grades 7-9 (50.6% female; 83.4% from English speaking homes), 1870 provided self-reports on bullying involvement and mechanisms of moral disengagement associated with bullying. Two cut-offs were compared for bullying involvement (as perpetrator and as target of bullying) during the previous school term: a conservative cut-off (every few weeks or more often) and a liberal cut-off (once-or-twice). Using the conservative cut-off, both pure bullies and bully/victims enlisted moral disengagement mechanisms to justify bullying more than did uninvolved students and pure victims, with no significant difference in scores on any of the moral disengagement scales between pure bullies and bully/victims. For the liberal cut-off, bully/victims reported lower overall moral disengagement scores than did pure bullies, and specifically less distortion of consequences, diffusion of responsibility, and euphemistic labeling. This study advances bullying research by extending the role of moral disengagement in bullying episodes beyond pure bullies to victims, both pure victims and bully/victims. Examination of specific moral disengagement mechanisms and the extent of involvement in bullying enabled a more nuanced differentiation between the bullying groups. These results will inform future interventions aimed at reducing the use of moral disengagement mechanisms that sustain bullying and victimization. Targeted interventions are needed to challenge specific moral disengagement mechanisms from the perspectives of pure bullies and bully/victims.

Psychosocial factors facilitating use of cognitive enhancing drugs in education: a qualitative investigation of moral disengagement and associated processes

Illicit use of prescription drugs (e.g. modafinil) to enhance academic performance – termed cognitive enhancement (CE) – is a legal, health, and ethical issue. Guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory of moral thought and action, this study investigated whether student users of CE evidenced specific psychosocial mechanisms (i.e. mechanisms of moral disengagement) when explaining their reasons for CE. Following ethical approval from the lead author’s institution, in-depth-semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine students with experience of CE. Data were content analysed deductively, using definitions for the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement; six of the eight mechanisms were identified through data analysis: diffusion of responsibility (DR), advantageous comparison (AC), distortion of consequences (DCs), displacement of responsibility, moral justification, and euphemistic labelling. In addition, inductive data analysis identified three further themes; self-medication, family and friends, and institutional position. Overall, the study findings suggest students may morally disengage to justify and rationalise use of CE to minimise negative emotional responses (e.g. guilt) that may be expected to result given the potential legal-, health-, and ethics-based deterrents to CE.

Self-Justification Processes Related to Bullying Among Brazilian Adolescents: A Mixed Methods Study.

This study aims to investigate the associations between bullying and moral disengagement in a Brazilian sample, using a mixed method design. Two-thousand three hundred and thirty-four adolescents (11–19 years; 42.9% girls) answered self-report measures on bullying and moral disengagement in response to bullying situations. Fifty-five participants were randomly selected and interviewed on their experiences on bullying at school. Results allowed to identify specific mechanisms of moral disengagement associated with bullying behavior among Brazilian adolescents. Qualitative analysis highlighted how moral disengagement mechanisms were spontaneously used by the adolescents to explain both the bullying and the bystander behaviors. Findings support the relevance of moral disengagement mechanisms in explaining bullying behaviors. The value of addressing these mechanisms when designing anti-bullying interventions is discussed.

Integrating moral and achievement variables to predict doping likelihood in football: A cross-cultural investigation

ObjectivesIn our study, we had two objectives. Our first objective was to test a social-cognitive model of doping in sport. In this model, we examined moral variables (i.e., moral disengagement, moral identity, anticipated guilt) and performance motivational climate as predictors of doping likelihood and whether performance motivational climate moderates the relationship between moral disengagement and doping likelihood. The second objective was to determine whether this model is invariant across sex and country. DesignWe used a cross-sectional design. MethodParticipants were 1495 (729 females) elite football players (mean age 20.4 ± 4.4) recruited from 97 teams in the UK, Denmark and Greece. They completed questionnaires measuring the aforementioned variables. ResultsMoral disengagement positively predicted doping likelihood both directly and indirectly via anticipated guilt. The direct relationship was significant only when performance climate was perceived as average or high. Moral identity negatively predicted doping likelihood via both moral disengagement and anticipated guilt; and performance climate positively predicted doping likelihood. The model was largely invariant across sex and country. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that young elite football players in the UK, Denmark and Greece are less likely to use banned substances to enhance their performance, if they consider being moral an important part of who they are, and if they perceive a low performance climate in their team. Moral identity is likely to trigger feelings of guilt associated with the use of banned substances and to mobilize moral disengagement mechanisms. Our findings highlight the importance of moral variables in deterring the use of banned substances in sport.

Why sabotage customers who mistreat you? Activated hostility and subsequent devaluation of targets as a moral disengagement mechanism.

We utilize the social intuitionist approach to moral judgment and moral disengagement theory to understand why and when employees sabotage customers. We contend that when customers mistreat employees (i.e., customer mistreatment), employees experience intuitive emotional reactions in the form of hostility, which automatically activates devaluation of targets, a specific facet of moral disengagement. In turn, employees become unencumbered by moral self-regulation and sabotage customers who mistreat them (i.e., customer-directed sabotage). We further argue that our serially mediated model is moderated by employees' perceptions of the organization's ethical climate. When ethical climates are perceived as being low, employees' hostile reactions toward misbehaving customers produce a positive relationship with devaluation of targets, and devaluation of targets results in a positive relationship with customer-directed sabotage. These positive relationships do not hold when ethical climate is perceived as being high. We test our theoretical model using a field sample of customer service employees and an experimental study to establish causality. Our results provide general support for our hypotheses. We discuss theoretical and practical implications and opportunities for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Does opportunity make the thief? Abilities and moral disengagement in illegal downloading

ABSTRACTRecent research has shown that typically law-abiding people perceive the act of illegal downloading as less unethical than other illegal acts. A major thrust of today's digital piracy research is indeed to understand how emerging social norms influence consumer perceptions and lead to rationalisations that justify antinormative behaviour despite moral and ethics. We adopt a model comparison approach to evaluate the impact of moral disengagement mechanisms with respect to the most often used constructs referring to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and of moral obligation on intention to pirate. Comparisons between the tested models clearly indicate that moral disengagement plays a significant role in the prediction of piracy. The results also suggest that the practice of illegal downloading is spreading across genders, and that other than moral disengagement, demographic factors of young age, pirating experience, and pirating ability are strong predictors of illegal downloading. When moral disengagement mechanisms are included in the model, intention to pirate is explained by past piracy behaviour, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms as well as the moral disengagement mechanism of ‘euphemistic labelling’. Our findings advance the current understanding of digital piracy and support the design of more effective interventions to counteract its further diffusion.

Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement and Their Associations With Indirect Bullying, Direct Bullying, and Pro-Aggressive Bystander Behavior

This study examined the links between seven specific mechanisms of moral disengagement and indirect bullying, direct bullying, and pro-aggressive bystander behavior. In addition, the moderating role of gender on these associations was examined. Participants were 317 Swedish students in Grades 4 to 8 ([Formula: see text], SD = 1.35; 62% girls). Multivariate multiple regression analyses showed that indirect bullying was predicted by gender and victim attribution. Direct bullying was predicted by moral justification, and for girls, by victim attribution. Pro-aggressive bystander behavior was predicted by diffusion of responsibility, victim attribution, gender, and age. That is, boys and younger students were more prone to take the aggressor’s side compared with girls and older students. Furthermore, the relation between pro-aggressive bystander behavior and distortion of consequences appeared stronger in boys than in girls. These results highlight the relative importance of specific moral disengagement mechanisms and may have implications for interventions targeting bullying.

The Contribution of Moral Disengagement to Dating Violence and General Aggression: The Gender and Age Moderating Effects.

The main aims of this study were, first to analyze the partial effects of specific mechanisms of moral disengagement (MMD) on different manifestations of general aggression and dating violence (DV) in adolescents and youths; second, to explore the moderating effects of gender and age on these relations. Moral disengagement, and different forms of aggression and DV, were evaluated in a sample of 424 participants (61.1% women) aged 15 to 25 years (M = 18.80; SD = 2.69). Pearson correlations and different hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. All regressions were controlled by social desirability. MMD contributed to physical aggression with a medium effect size (R2 = .22) and verbal aggression with a small effect size (R2 = .10). Conversely, MMD did not appear to clearly contribute to DV. In conclusion, depersonalization and rationalization were the most important MMD for physical aggression, rationalization for verbal aggression, and irresponsibility for verbal-emotional violence in dating relationships. Moreover, the relationships between physical aggression and rationalization mechanism were significantly moderated by gender: there appears to be a stronger relationship between rationalization and physical aggression in boys than in girls. Moderating effects of age on these relations were not found.

Different mechanisms of moral disengagement as multiple mediators in the association between harsh parenting and adolescent aggression

The present study examined the different mediating roles of eight mechanisms of moral disengagement in the association between harsh parenting and adolescent aggression. 389 junior high school students participated. Data were collected by parents reporting on spouses' harsh parenting, adolescents themselves reporting on moral disengagement and nominating out aggressive classmates. The results indicated that harsh parenting was positively associated with each mechanism of moral disengagement and only the mechanisms of moral justification and euphemistic language completely mediated the association between harsh parenting and adolescent aggression. These results add to extant literature on how harsh parenting could risk adolescents for aggressive behaviors.

Online moral disengagement and hostile emotions in discussions on hosting immigrants

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the “dark nuances” of social media by identifying moral disengagement (MD) mechanisms and hostile emotions in people discussing the hosting of immigrants and examining the relationship between MD mechanisms and hostile emotions expressed online (annoyance, irritation and contempt).Design/methodology/approachThe method was based on a psycho-lexicographical approach that analysed the in vivo real words, adopting a quanti-qualitative point of view. The investigation started from the case of a Facebook post in support of immigrants after a serious shipwreck causing the death of more than 700 would-be migrants. More than 10,000 comments were codified. For the comments against the hosting of such immigrants, the authors followed a codebook aimed at identifying MD mechanisms and hostile emotions.FindingsThe main findings show an interplay between different hostile negative emotions and online MD mechanisms. The greater the intensity of hostile emotions, the more the locus of disengagement moves from the unethical individual’s behaviour – for example, offering moral justifications – to the target recipient of such behaviour – for example, blaming or dehumanising.Practical implicationsThe study could be applicable in designing and developing algorithms and technological tools aimed at preventive interventions to promote moral awareness and emotional regulation in online settings.Social implicationsThe study may be a useful contribution to understanding unethical orientation by identifying areas where education can intervene in reducing harmful behavioural tendencies.Originality/valueThis study takes together expressed hostile emotions and MD mechanisms by means of the analysis of real words in vivo through social media discussions.