Mechanisms Of Moral Disengagement Research Articles

Affective Empathy and Moral Disengagement Related to Late Adolescent Bullying Perpetration

Bullying has damaging short-term and long-term consequences. Research suggests that perpetrators have low empathy and high moral disengagement, but relations between these variables are unclear and are rarely integrated in a single study. Thus, the objective of this study was to discover if empathy and moral disengagement mechanisms were related to bullying perpetration. This study was conducted with 904 Polish adolescents enrolled in 6 rural and urban upper secondary schools. High affective empathy predicted lower bullying perpetration. Moral-disengagement mechanisms such as moral justification, euphemistic language, advanced comparison, and distorting consequences were uniquely related to increased bullying perpetration. Low affective empathy was also uniquely related to increased perpetration. These findings have important implication for school policy and practice.

The effects of moral disengagement mechanisms on doping likelihood are mediated by guilt and moderated by moral traits

ObjectivesWe examined the effects of moral disengagement on doping likelihood and guilt, and determined whether the effects of moral disengagement on doping likelihood were mediated by guilt and moderated by moral traits. DesignWe used an experimental design to compare the effects of moral disengagement mechanisms on doping likelihood and guilt in hypothetical situations. MethodAthletes indicated their doping likelihood and anticipated guilt in situations describing one of six moral disengagement mechanisms (moral justification, advantageous comparison, euphemistic labeling, distortion of consequences, displacement of responsibility, diffusion of responsibility) and in neutral (control) situations. They also completed measures of moral agency, identity, perfectionism, and values, to which we refer collectively as moral traits. ResultsDoping likelihood was higher in all six moral disengagement situations compared to neutral situations. Anticipated guilt was lower in five moral disengagement situations (except euphemistic labeling) compared to neutral situations. Doping likelihood and anticipated guilt differed among the moral disengagement mechanisms. The effect of five moral disengagement mechanisms (except euphemistic labeling) on doping likelihood was mediated by anticipated guilt. The effect of overall moral disengagement on doping likelihood was moderated by moral agency, moral perfectionism and moral values. ConclusionsMoral disengagement increased the likelihood of doping and decreased affective self-sanction for doping as predicted by the theory of moral thought and action. The finding that the effects of moral disengagement on doping likelihood were moderated by moral agency, moral perfectionism and moral values highlights the role played by moral traits to restrain dishonest conduct in sport.

The moral disengagement mechanisms in organizational contexts: A comparison between public organizations and private firms

The moral disengagement present in work places is a critical factor impacting the efficient pursuit of organizational goals. This research aims at providing a new view on the criticisms moved against the inefficiencies of the Italian public administration and the national bureaucratic system, by adopting the principles described in Albert Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive theory and testing the mechanisms of moral disengagement empirically, by carrying out the Civic Moral Disengagement (CMD) survey among private and public-sector employees. The final goal of this research is analyzing the cognitive process that employees activate based on the environment they are in, and defining an Empowerment strategy that could be adopted within public organizations.

Police officers’ perspectives on state (police) violence: A sociomoral and psychological-driven study on disengagement

This paper comprises a theoretical and empirical incursion into the phenomenon of state violence, namely police violence. Although extensively explored in different perspectives within and outside academia, police violence is complex and has not been sufficiently problematized yet. In our understanding, this phenomenon requires a dialectical and dynamic discussion wherein both the development of state powers (macro-perspective) and how these powers affect the subjectification of those who act on their behalf (micro-perspective) are articulated into a critical analysis. In more concrete terms, the present study contributes to such analysis by shedding light on the main processes of moral disengagement (cf. Bandura, 1990, 1999, 2004) disclosed in the internal perspectives of six Portuguese police officers about common daily work-related situations. To legitimize the resort to police violence, police officers rely heavily on different mechanisms of moral disengagement. For instance, sanitizing language (anchored in a police technical jargon) is typically used as a linguistic mechanism to disguise violent actions; advantageous comparisons with other law enforcement agencies or with the recipient’s conduct are typically employed; non-lethal violence is usually minimized and portrayed as innocuous; and the recipient of violence is usually dehumanised and seen as responsible for the acts of violence. The findings are discussed based on the moral disengagement theory (Bandura, 1990, 1999, 2004); on the denial approach (Cohen, 2001, 2003); and on the impact of organizational, legal and socio-cultural dimensions of police organization (e.g., Fassin, 2011; Huggins, Haritos-Fatouros, & Zimbardo, 2002).

Drug Use as a Risk Factor of Moral Disengagement: A Study on Drug Traffickers and Offenders against Other Persons

This study investigates the moral-disengagement strategies and influence of drug use in adolescence on 49 offenders in Italian jails, 30 of which are drug traffickers and 19 of which are offenders against other persons. A semi-structured interview was conducted to collect data on family, social and medical histories and the manner in which the deviant act was carried out, and the Moral Disengagement Scale was used to identify specific moral disengagement mechanisms. The results show that the traffickers reported higher levels of general moral disengagement, dehumanization of victims, and advantageous comparison with respect to offenders against other persons. However, the offenders who used drugs in adolescence reported higher levels of advantageous comparison with respect to offenders who did not use drugs. Studying self-regulatory mechanisms is important for enriching the literature about risk factors connected with moral disengagement and deviant behaviour committed by offenders in order to implement the promotion of effective and targeted treatment and educational strategies.

Mitos no Desengajamento Moral: Retóricas da Samarco em um Crime Corporativo

Resumo Nesta pesquisa, conduzimos uma análise retórica com o objetivo de explorar os mecanismos de desengajamento moral utilizados pela Samarco no caso do crime ocorrido com a quebra de uma barragem sob sua administração, em novembro de 2015, em Minas Gerais. O corpus de pesquisa submetido à análise retórica constitui-se de publicações contendo declarações da empresa e de seus representantes sobre o caso em questão. Como resultados, mostramos que a Samarco utiliza-se de três mitos na sua retórica: (a) Nós estamos fazendo o que deve ser feito; (b) Nós não colocamos a sociedade e o meio ambiente em risco; e (c) A culpa não é nossa. Esses três mitos são recursos representativos do desengajamento moral (Bandura, 1999) da empresa para cometer um crime corporativo. Nossa análise identificou três mecanismos: deslocamento de culpa; minimização e distorção das consequências; e rotulagem eufemística.

Moral Disengagement Mechanisms and Armed Violence. A Comparative Study of Paramilitaries and Guerrillas in Colombia

Los mecanismos de desconexión moral son estrategias mediante las cuales las acciones inmorales parecen morales. El estudio examina la utilización de dichas estrategias por parte de dos grupos armados ilegales en Colombia (guerrillas y paramilitares), así como las diferencias entre los dos grupos, para lo cual se analizaron 367 comunicados emitidos a lo largo de 55 meses. El análisis deductivo del contenido reveló que los mecanismos más utilizados eran la atribución de culpabilidad, los eufemismos, la justificación moral y la calificación con nombres indeseables. Según los resultados, solo hubo diferencias entre los grupos en cuanto al número de comunicados de prensa, mas no en cuanto a la frecuencia o al tipo de mecanismos utilizados. Los hallazgos del estudio se analizan en la sección de discusión según la teoría de la disonancia, la violencia extrema y las razones para enrolarse en grupos armados ilegales.

Vandalism-Militancy Relationship: The Influence of Risk Perception and Moral Disengagement

Both risk perception and moral disengagement underpin crisis intensification, and influence risk behaviours. This research, examines whether risk perception and moral disengagement mechanisms influence vandalism and militancy (terrorism), and if these mechanisms can provide alternative strategies for managing unconventional mass emergencies and disasters. This paper will also clarify and discuss the relevance of the concepts: moral disengagement, moral evaluation, and social trust. The influence and implications of risk perception and moral disengagement on crisis management on a case study of the vandalism and militant incidents that have occurred Niger Delta region over the last decade are discussed. Specifically, this investigation demonstrates that there are potential gains in crisis management, when crisis dimensions, morality issues, and risk perception are used to help anchor strategic options during crises. The present study found that people are more likely to disengage from moral conducts when the mechanisms of moral evaluation and disengagement are routinely experienced. In doing so, people become skilled at neutralising morally questionable behaviours and activities such as vandalism. The findings also indicate that environmental risks are perceived to be more important than economic or biological risks during crises, and that individuals’ susceptible to moral disengagement are not predestined for delinquency. Therefore, environmental victimisation, moralistic punishment, and moral surveillance are all active factors necessary for risk and crisis leaders to address when trying to manage crises. This paper advances the crisis management literature through the analysis of moral disengagement and its implications for crises. This study also provides evidence that errors in risk perception evaluation can lead to ineffective crisis response, and ineffective strategic practices when managing crisis. The findings also challenge assumptions that vandals and militants are inhumane, and that capturing or alienating them will help prevent or reduce future crisis/disaster. Instead, it is argued that these perceptions and practices are ineffective and unsustainable. The implications and limitations of these findings are also discussed.

Moral disengagement and children’s propensity to tell coached lies

This study investigated the relationship between children’s proneness to endorse moral disengagement mechanisms and their anticipated antisocial lie telling. Participants were 107 predominantly white Australian children in Grade 1 (27 boys, 27 girls; Mage = 6.69 years) and Grade 4 (24 boys, 29 girls; Mage = 9.69 years). Children completed a lie-telling moral disengagement scale and two vignettes. In the first vignette, a child character witnessed a transgression and was coached to say that they did not see the transgression occur (lie type: false denial). In the second vignette, a child character did not witness a transgression and was coached to say that they saw a transgression (lie type: false allegation). In accordance with social cognitive theory predictions, greater proneness to using moral disengagement mechanisms was associated with children’s anticipated lie telling for both false allegations and false denials. These findings highlight the important role of moral disengagement in children’s lie telling.

Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement and Prisoner Abuse

AbstractBandura's research and theory on the mechanisms of moral disengagement demonstrate the various ways that persons distance themselves from their mistreatment of others to avoid or circumvent ethical constraints that should and otherwise would govern their behavior. This article examines the serious problem of prisoner abuse through the lens of moral disengagement theory to understand in part why such abuse occurs and persists. This application of moral disengagement theory underscores the importance of addressing these social psychological dynamics in any program of prison reform and the need for further research in a setting that traditionally has resisted in‐depth empirical examination.

Human Rights and Sports Mega-Events: The Role of Moral Disengagement in Spectators

Human rights issues such as freedom of speech, equality, and displacement are repeatedly connected with the hosting of sports mega-events. Governments and event organizers require public backing to ensure these events remain sustainable; this study provides an explanation as to how the general populations continue to provide this support in spite of these concerns through the framework of Bandura’s social cognitive theory of moral agency. Four focus groups consisting of 18 individuals who had attended a sports mega-event were carried out using a semistructured format, covering the topics of freedom, protection, access, equality, and ability. Subsequently, the data were analyzed deductively using definitions of the mechanisms of moral disengagement. The findings provide preliminary evidence of moral disengagement in members of the public who support sports mega-events. Implications for human rights organizations and other key stakeholders are discussed.

Tolerance of effective ingroup deviants as a function of moral disengagement / Tolerancia de la disidencia efectiva de los miembros del endogrupo como función de la desconexión moral

The subjective group dynamics theory posits that individuals derogate ingroup members who deviate from prescriptive moral norms. Research on moral disengagement suggests that deviants may, sometimes, be tolerated. This study’s goal was to test whether leniency towards effective ingroup deviants is accounted for by mechanisms of moral disengagement. Portuguese participants (N = 75) judged a Portuguese (ingroup) or Spanish (outgroup) manager whose deviant conduct was either effective (i.e., had positive consequences) or ineffective (i.e., had negative consequences) for a Portuguese company. As predicted, participants favoured deviant but effective ingroup members. This was mediated by an increase in moral disengagement and a decrease in negative emotional reactions. Results suggest that individuals downplay the importance of moral norms when facing ambiguous ingroup deviants, as a means to protect their social identity. We discuss these results in light of subjective group dynamics theory.

Anomia and Displacement of Responsibility as Determinants of Tourist Company Managers’ Non-Involvement in Alleviating Poverty

The economic transformation produced by tourism sometimes has a positive influence on reducing poverty, but other times it does not. Discovering the reasons for this difference is highly relevant. In searching for these reasons, this study will focus on an important actor in tourism management, the manager. Specifically, the study will analyze how a certain negative mood state, anomia, influences the fact that managers do not consider it advisable for their companies to become involved in reducing poverty. The term future managers has been used as a proxy variable for managers. In addition, the study will also examine whether a moral disengagement mechanism, displacement of responsibility, is a mediator variable in this relationship. Covariance-based structural equation modeling was applied to a sample of 422 students in their last year of the Tourism degree at two universities, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) and Ibn-Zohr-Agadir (Morocco). The results show that all the proposed hypotheses are supported.

Development and preliminary validation of a scale of driving moral disengagement as a tool in the exploration of driving aggression

Aggressive driving has been found to result in road collisions which are a major cause of injury, fatality and financial cost in motorised countries. Qualitative and survey based studies suggest that drivers use justifications or explanations of their aggressive driving that bear strong resemblance to Bandura’s mechanisms of moral disengagement. The aim of the current study was to explore the applicability of moral disengagement to the driving context using a purpose-adapted scale, the Driving Moral Disengagement Scale. A convenience sample of general drivers (N=294) responded to an on-line survey comprised of measures of trait anger, driving anger (DAX revised), moral disengagement and driving moral disengagement. Factor analysis allowed for reduction of the new scale from 23 items to 13 items, and this shortened Driving Moral Disengagement Scale (DMDS) had good internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha=.83). Scree plot criteria indicated a one factor solution accounting for 34.34% of the variance. Bivariate correlations on the shortened DMDS revealed significant and positive relationships with measures of driving aggression, moral disengagement, trait anger and driving anger, r=.28–.55. Moreover the strength of the association between driving aggression and moral disengagement was greater than that with driving anger. Hierarchical regression revealed driving moral disengagement as the strongest significant predictor of driving aggression, accounting for 18% of the unique variation in the DV, and suggesting this may be a more useful predictor than driving anger. In addition, significant differences between participants’ mean scores for moral disengagement in everyday situations and their driving moral disengagement scores support the interpretation that drivers may behave differently from their ‘usual’ selves when driving, and that the driving context may encourage both greater moral disengagement and greater tendency towards aggressive responses. Chi square analysis indicated that those who scored high on driving moral disengagement were significantly more likely to report aggressive responses to driving situations than those with low driving moral disengagement scores (with a large effect size, φ=.42). This suggests that the DMDS may be useful for future driving aggression research. Implications for intervention are that aiming to alert drivers to their usual self-censure mechanisms or to prevent the tendency to moral disengagement while driving may be effective in reducing driving aggression and the risky or dangerous responses associated with it on road.

Moral Disengagement and Psychopathy: A Study on Offenders in Italian Jails

This article investigates mechanisms of moral disengagement and psychopathy in offender detainees (sex offenders and non-sex offenders). In particular, this article investigates whether, in all offenders, moral disengagement and psychopathy are correlated, if there are any differences between sex offenders and non-sex offenders as to psychopathy, and if there are any differences between rapists and child molesters in regard to their levels of psychopathy. The results indicate that, in all offenders, levels of moral disengagement are associated with levels of psychopathy, while sex offenders are more selfish, more insensitive and less remorseful than non-sex offenders. It is also found that rapists display more antisocial behaviour problematic elements in their lifestyle than child molesters. As well as increasing the dedicated literature, studying the mechanisms and characteristics of offenders – and of sex offenders in particular – may be of considerable importance for the promotion of effective and targeted treatment strategies.

“I Choked Her But I Did Not Punch Her”: Constructions of Intimate Partner Violence Among Men in the Philippines

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a phenomenon that is persistent in society and exacts a heavy psychological toll on women and children victimized by it. This research aims to understand how doers of intimate partner violence construe or perceive their alleged violent behavior. This study focuses on fifteen men with cases of Republic Act of 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women for physical, psychological, economic and/or sexual abuse in Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Participants were interviewed on their perception of intimate partner violence and the factors that led to their alleged violent behavior. Thematic network analysis yielded five global themes to explain that there are different yet inter-related causations of violence according to the participants: (1) act of IPV as a cognitive dissonance; (2) socio-economic condition as primary source of conflict; (3) blaming partner as the problem; (4) IPV as an impulsive and emotional response; and (5) ineffective conflict resolution. The doers position themselves to be intrinsically good people who denounce the act of violence, however, to compensate their contradicting behavior, they minimize the consequence of behavior and negate responsibility through different mechanisms of moral disengagement. Given the results, the research stresses the importance of a rehabilitation program that targets moral disengagement, anger management and effective conflict resolution.

Moral Disengagement Strategies in Sex Offenders

Sexual abuse is a heterogeneous phenomenon. The literature on sexual offenders considers risk factors in the individual and familial history as well as precursors such as cognitive distortions, defence mechanisms and moral disengagement (MD) mechanisms. This study investigates the MD in sex offenders and non-sex offenders in a sample of 362 males comprising a control group of 268 non-offenders, a group of 42 detained sex offenders and a group of 52 detained non-sex offenders. Participants were administered a semi-structured interview and the Moral Disengagement Scale (MDS). The results show a significant difference between the jailed participants (non-sex offenders and sex offenders) and controls; offenders were found to generally display overall higher levels of MD. Among the jailed participants, sex offenders seem to make more use of MD mechanisms than non-sex offenders.

Cognitive Distortions and Moral Disengagement in Sex Offenders: A Study in Order to Develop a Possible Treatment

Objective: The literature on sexual offenders (SOs) has considered cognitive distortions, defence mechanisms and moral disengagement mechanisms as risk factors in the individual history. Recent literature focuses on how both the concepts of moral disengagement (Bandura et al. 1996) and self-serving cognitive distortions (Barriga and Gibbs 1996) constitute a group of cognitive processes. These processes help to cognitively overcome dissonance between personal moral standards and behavioral transgressions, facilitating violent or, in general, wrong acts (Ribeaud and Eisner 2010). This pilot study investigates moral disengagement mechanisms and cognitive distortions in detained male SO to make treatment effective, taking into account the link between these two constructs. Design and Method: The study sample consisted of 101 males detained in some Italian prisons. Participants were administered a Socio-demographic Data Grid, the Moral Disengagement Scale, the Vindictive Rape Attitudes Questionnaire and the Hanson Supportive Attitudes Questionnaire. Results: Moral disengagement presents a significant correlation with all aspects of examined cognitive distortions (CD) [CD (child): r=.336, p<.01; CD “Sex Kids: r= .278, p<.01; CD “Sexual Entitlement”: r= .375, p<.01; CD (rapist): r= .299, p<.01]. Child molesters’ cognitive distortions are correlated with displacement of responsibility [r= .381; p<.01] and distortion of consequences [r= .278; p<.01]. Cognitive distortions about “sexual entitlement” are correlated with moral justification (r= .284; p<.01), attribution of blame [r= .304; p<.01], euphemistic labeling [r= .274; p<.01], displacement of responsibility (r= .418; p<.01) and distortions of consequences [r= .273; p<.01]. Rapist cognitive distortions present significant correlations with attribution of blame [r= .348; p<.01] and displacement of responsibility [r= .265; p<.01]. Cognitive Distortions, measured by “Sex Kids” subscale, present a moderate correlation with moral justification [r= .222; p<.05], displacement of responsibility [r= .234; p<.05] and distortion of consequences [r= .242; p<.05]. Conclusions: Our results suggest that moral disengagement and self-serving cognitive distortions often are present in the very same cognitive processes and that these processes tend to influence sex offenders’ behaviour (Ribeaud and Eisner, 2010). The correlation between child molester cognitive distortion and Displacement of Responsibility might be explained by an immaturity of the subject and the relative difficulty in relating to an adult preferring contact with child. The correlations between cognitive distortions rapist and Attribution of Blame and Displacement of Responsibility (MDM) could be referred to the offender’s idea that some aspects of the victim (Ex. Being too provocative) justify his violent behaviour against him/her. This study could be interesting to organize specific guidelines for treatment of the offenders and especially for the relapse prevention.

The Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement in George W. Bush’s “War on Terror” Rhetoric

Despite considerable literature on the Bush administration’s war on terrorism rhetoric, little attention has been paid to its discourse of moral disengagement, leaving an important and still relevant gap that this paper aims to address. Rather than approaching this gap in terms of an archival historical analysis that is disconnected from the present, it proposes an exploratory revisit of the rhetoric that the benefits of hindsight might enrich and, we argue, aid in understanding connections to the current post-invasion turmoil and the gradual ISIS takeover. Having subjected nineteen presidential speeches to qualitative content analysis, we identified a number of moral disengagement mechanisms: moral justification, advantageous comparisons, and attribution of blame, dehumanisation of the enemy, the use of sanitizing language, diffusion of responsibility and minimization of harm. We also identified novel themes relating to American excellence/patriotism, religious ideals and fear- arousing appeals, offering original contributions to the existing literature and advancing our understanding of dynamic, real-world, and highest stakes moral disengagement whose parallels can be identified in today’s political discourses. The detailed analysis unveils the apparent paradox of propagating moral disengagement through a thread of arguments that interweave diversity with uniformity, complexity with simplicity, in effect alerting the reader to the processes of moral desensitisation that the past, current and future “warmongering” political discourses may often rely upon.

An approach of the moral disengagement through the moral content judgment

ABSTRACTThe goal of the present study was the best understanding of the development of mechanisms of moral disengagement. Participants were 281 athletes (males, n = 133, and females, n = 148) all involved in competitive sport (teams and individuals). Their ages ranged from 13 to 23 years (M = 15.01, SD = 2.29), while their experience ranged from 1 to15 years (M = 5.42, SD = 3.13). The participants filled out two questionnaires: the Moral Disengagement in Sport Scale (MDSS) and the Moral Content Judgment in Sport Questionnaire (MCJSQ). Results revealed significant differences in gender and a negative correlation between the three mechanisms of moral disengagement (advantageous comparison, non-responsibility, and attribution of blame) with age. Findings also revealed that the mechanisms of moral disengagement relationship with elements of moral content judgment was positive with egoistic utilitarianism/consequences and negative with fairness.