Moral Distance Research Articles

‘Drones for good’: innovation, meaning and remoteness in the Dutch police drone team

ABSTRACT This paper presents an ethnographic study of drone policing, demonstrating how the implementation of drones transforms not only everyday practices and tasks but also officers’ experiences and moral values in their work. While drones are often examined within military contexts, their application in domestic law enforcement is growing. Military studies focus on the concept of remoteness, discussing how operators manage distance-intimacy relations, with reduced physical risk but increased moral-psychological harm for operators due to detailed real-time imagery. Following this focus on remoteness and the lived experience of operators, this qualitative study examines the Dutch national police drone team. It shows that officers perceive remoteness in their work in two ways: physical distance from ‘real’ operations, and emotional distance from the core values of their profession. Police drones thereby promote ‘moral tele-policing’, creating a moral distance from core police objectives: to serve and protect. However, despite this distance, officers maintain a strong commitment to the moral values of their profession and feel connected to overarching objectives of public safety through a ‘good drone’ discourse. By adopting a sociotechnical approach and elaborating on the military-police nexus, this paper enhances understanding of the experiences of innovation in security professions.

Smartphone morality: A mixed-method study of how young adults judge their own and other people’s digital media reliance

Abstract Escalating smartphone reliance is a debated issue, especially when it comes to the digital wellbeing of young people. Hence, this article addresses smartphone use as a morally contested activity among young adults. We first analyse the existence of moral dissonance pertaining to one’s own smartphone use – whether one uses the device according to internalised norms or not. Second, we explore moral distancing – to what extent morally problematic smartphone use is ascribed to others rather than to oneself. Combining survey results with focus-group interviews from Sweden, the study shows that moral distancing is less pronounced among young adults than in the overall population. It also shows that young people’s capacity to domesticate digital media in a morally congruent way plays into the social reproduction of gender and class. While the smartphone is socially normalised, young adults, especially women, report a great deal of moral reflexivity and distress in relation to the device.

Secondary Transfer Effect and Natives' Acculturation Behaviours: The Role of Natives' Perceived Moral Distance and Multicultural Ideology

ABSTRACTThe increase in migration and cultural diversity across various Western regions has highlighted the need to promote harmonious coexistence between those who migrate from other countries and the native populations. Promoting social harmony is the primary objective in both acculturation and intergroup contact research. Particularly relevant to this aim is the secondary transfer effect (STE), consisting in the spreading of the effects of contact with a primary outgroup to attitudes towards secondary outgroups uninvolved in the contact setting. This study aims to explore the STE of positive contact with African migrants (as the primary outgroup) on the acculturation behaviours of natives, and specifically, how these behaviours affect natives' prointegration actions towards refugees (as the secondary outgroup). To achieve this objective, we also investigated two potential underlying processes: natives' perceived moral distance, linked to the STE and contact literature, and natives' multicultural ideology, associated with natives' acculturation preferences. We hypothesised that positive interactions of Italian adults (N = 280) with African migrants would be associated with natives' prorefugee behaviours through natives' perceived moral distance towards African migrants and their multicultural ideology. Logistic SEM analysis revealed indirect effects through the two hypothesised mediators, emphasising their role in driving natives' prorefugee behaviours.

“Fool Me Once” Or “Slippery Slope”? A Study of Purchasing Managers' Reaction to Repeated Supplier Sustainability Incidents

ABSTRACTSustainability incidents (e.g., human rights violations, pollution, bribery, etc.) in supply chains continue to manifest globally. Yet, evidence from practice shows such incidents tend to recur within the same supply chains despite stakeholder attention. We investigate the manifestations of supplier sustainability incidents (SSIs) and purchasing managers' reaction to them over time, looking for traces of the slippery slope effect. We also test whether moral disengagement and psychological distance can further impact decisions toward SSIs. Through a series of experiments on both social and environmental SSIs and a follow‐up qualitative study (683 participants in total), we find evidence for the impact of moral disengagement and psychological distance on purchasing managers' reaction to SSIs. However, results for the slippery slope effect were mixed. Our supplementary qualitative study found evidence for the slippery slope effect, as well as moral licensing/cleansing and moral psychology.

Partisan Dehumanization in Brazil's Asymmetrically Polarized Party System

An ugly manifestation of polarization is partisan dehumanization, a form of moral disengagement from and support for aggressive or even violent treatment of one's opponents. Brazil offers a useful case to explore the relative importance of in-group sympathy or out-group antipathy as sources of dehumanization, since its voters are polarized between supporters and opponents of a single party, the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers’ Party, PT). Using survey-experimental data from a convenience sample, we show that partisan dehumanization can stem from either in- or out-group bias. Both PT partisans, known as petistas, and PT opponents, known as antipetistas, dehumanize their opponents. For petistas, in-group favoritism drives dehumanization of their opponents. However, since the only thing that unites all antipetistas is their dislike for the PT, out-group animosity is the critical factor driving their dehumanization of petistas. We also find that dehumanization is associated with the intensity of positive or negative partisanship and perceptions of social and moral distance between opponents. However, perceptions of out-group threat and Social Dominance Orientation do not enhance dehumanization. Our findings contribute to understanding the roots of partisan dehumanization and polarization in Latin America and beyond.

Is Burnout a Determinant of Moral Disengagement in Team and Individual Sports?

This study aims to reveal the relationship between moral disengagement and burnout, the level of prediction, and differentiation by different variables. In the present study, in which the relational scanning model among the quantitative research models was used, 530 elite athletes were involved. The athlete burnout scale (ABQ) and moral disengagement in sports scale (MDSS-SF) were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation analysis, regression analysis, t-test, and ANOVA. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the burnout level of the athletes was positively related to moral disengagement and the level of burnout was a predictor of moral disengagement in sports. It was found that there was no significant difference between burnout and moral disengagement levels of team and individual sports athletes, that the moral disengagement level of male athletes was significantly higher than that of female athletes, and that male team athletes’ level of burnout in sports was significantly higher than that of female team athletes. Moreover, the burnout-in-sports score of athletes having 12 years or longer sportive experience in individual branches was significantly higher than that of athletes having 7-11 years and that of athletes having a minimum of 6 years of experience. In this study, it was concluded that athletes’ level of burnout in sports increased the level of moral disengagement, that male athletes had a higher level of moral disengagement, and that long experience in sports increased the burnout among individual branch athletes.

The princess, the witch and the fairy godmother: colonial legacies in ‘FGM’

This article analyses the discursive construction of what has become known as ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ (FGM) in colonial-era debates in the UK Houses of Parliament. The author shows how, in order to bring the topic into the realm of political legitimacy and to be heard in an institution that had only recently allowed women to stand for office, (White) women MPs emphasised their superiority to the African cultures they were talking about. They fought for inclusion as parliamentarians by re-articulating and aligning themselves with Whitely virtues, positioning themselves as noble, respectable and civilised in contrast to the ‘evil’, ‘abhorrent’ and ‘barbaric’ natives. By delineating the moral distance between themselves and non-White men and women, and by (re)stating female parity as the measure of civilisation, they asserted their own right to full inclusion in the nation-state, using the master’s tools to trouble the master’s house. Ultimately, they gained ground for feminism through the re-articulation of racism. Through historicising and deconstructing the narrative as iterated in the seat of government in colonial times, the author furthers the tentative moves towards decolonising the global campaign against FGM. The article sheds light on the coloniality in the present-day hegemonic narrative of ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ and questions whether there might be less harmful ways to articulate opposition to the practice.

Attitudes moralization and outgroup dehumanization in the dynamic between pro‐ vs. anti‐vaccines against COVID‐19

AbstractAttitudes towards socially sensitive topics tend to be polarized and moralized. Literature showed that in the political arena people tend to consider their group different from the outgroup in moral terms, and how this perceived distance is capable of producing discrimination against the outgroup. In light of this evidence, the aim of this study (N = 234) was to examine the dynamics between Pro‐vaxers and No‐vaxers in relation to the SARS‐COV‐2 vaccine. Participants evaluated the strength of their attitude towards the COVID‐19 vaccine, and the extent to which this attitude was moralized. They reported the perceived moral distance between the ingroup and the outgroup and completed a scale of outgroup animalistic dehumanization. Results showed a positive association between the strength of the attitude towards the vaccine and its moralization. The tendency to moralize the attitude was positively associated with the perception of moral distance between ingroup and outgroup, and this positively associated with the outgroup dehumanization. A sequential mediation model showed an indirect effect that links attitude strength to dehumanization through attitude moralization and the perception of moral distance between groups. Results are discussed in the light of recent theories on the moralization of attitudes and its importance in institutional communication. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Meatsplaining: The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial

Meatsplaining: The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial

Moral distance, AI, and the ethics of care

This paper investigates how the introduction of AI to decision making increases moral distance and recommends the ethics of care to augment the ethical examination of AI decision making. With AI decision making, face-to-face interactions are minimized, and decisions are part of a more opaque process that humans do not always understand. Within decision-making research, the concept of moral distance is used to explain why individuals behave unethically towards those who are not seen. Moral distance abstracts those who are impacted by the decision and leads to less ethical decisions. The goal of this paper is to identify and analyze the moral distance created by AI through both proximity distance (in space, time, and culture) and bureaucratic distance (derived from hierarchy, complex processes, and principlism). We then propose the ethics of care as a moral framework to analyze the moral implications of AI. The ethics of care brings to the forefront circumstances and context, interdependence, and vulnerability in analyzing algorithmic decision making.

Introduction

Introduction

Solidarity across group lines: Secondary transfer effect of intergroup contact, perceived moral distance, and collective action

AbstractWe tested, in three studies, whether the generalization of contact effects from primary to secondary outgroups—the secondary transfer effect (STE)—occurs for collective action. The results supported a serial mediation model: contact with immigrants by advantaged group members (Italians: Study 1, N = 146, 121 females, Mage = 28.31 years; Study 3, N = 406, 239 females, Mage = 36.35; British people, Study 2, N = 160, 113 females, Mage = 32.31) was associated with lower perceived moral distance toward primary outgroups, which in turn was associated with more positive attitudes and greater collective action intentions toward primary outgroups, and lower perceived moral distance toward secondary outgroups. Lower perceived moral distance toward secondary outgroups and stronger collective action intentions toward the primary outgroup were associated with higher collective action intentions toward secondary outgroups (results were inconsistent for attitudes). We discuss the findings with a focus on how a consideration of perceived moral distance extends current theorizing, and the relevance of generalized prejudice for the STE.

Those We Love to Hate: An Anthropological Analysis of "Succesion" as a Critique of Late-Stage Capitalism

The paper tackles interpretations of late-stage capitalism and characters as incomplete antiheroes in the Succession tv-series (HBO 2018-). The characters in Succesion are the members of the wealthy American Roy family, in possesion of their own, family-run media conglomerate-empire, named Waystar RoyCo. Family businesses figure as symbols and pillars of success and are thought to preserve "good family values" in the official everyday and western political discourse. But Succession breaks down this myth and glorification of family-run businesses and treats it as a model of corrupted relationships that mirror themselves onto the smaller scales – specially onto family structure as a basic societal denominator. Following this premise is the second compontent – emotional reactions generated through morally ambiguous actions undertaken by every single character in the series. The lack of protagonist in the series and the portrayal of every character as an incomplete antihero leads us to the second important premise of the paper: the tropologization of characters, where every character embodies certain broader system flaw(s). Portrayed in this manner, characters are bearers of identity traits of late-stage capitalism hegemony. By exploiting their flaws, internal conflicts and morally ambiguous acts, the flaws of the system itself are revealed to the viewers. The dynamics of corrupted and broken relationships within the Roy family lead to perceiving it as an anti-family, which mirrors the insanity and downfall of the same system. The sardonic humor and brutalistic portrayal of the lack of ethics and morals generate strong emotional reactions among audiences that result in "liking the unlikeable". This controversial "loving to hate" is rooted in the cognitive and moral distance that builds up during the course of the series, which enables the viewers to take the standpoint of moral superiority.

What's in a Norm? Centering the Study of Moral Values in Scholarship on Norm Interactions

Abstract Some norms go through long contested periods, resulting in norm change, rejection, or persisting conflict. Others are adopted quite quickly, with little resistance across diverse societies. An underlying and unanswered theoretical question is why? A foundational characteristic of a norm as a concept, and a key aspect of constructivist scholarship on norms, is the role of values and moral principles in giving norms meaning and in motivating global policy change. For a field placing significant emphasis on the importance of ideas, the limited theorizing around the value-based content of these ideas is a notable shortcoming. Emphasizing the importance of moral values as among the most deeply held beliefs, I outline a theory of how moral values and moral distance can help explain why certain normative processes and outcomes occur. Building from constructivist work on norms and social psychology scholarship on morality, I propose that moral distance, the degree of alignment, overlap, or separation in moral values between actors can help to explain the type of contestation, the intensity and duration of contestation, and what processes or outcomes are more likely to transpire. The shorter the moral distance, the more likely persuasion or adaptations will occur, leading to the eventual adoption of a norm. The greater the moral distance, the more likely prolonged and heated contestation will occur, leading to rejection or enduring contestation. I argue that centering the analysis of moral values and moral distance in research on normative agreement and disagreement can therefore contribute to understanding why or under what circumstances conflict is more or less likely to happen.

Fungible Citizenship

Fungible Citizenship

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РЕТРОСПЕКТИВНОЇ НАРАЦІЇ В РОМАНІ ДІНИ НАЙЄРІ "ПРИТУЛОК"

Migration has come to play an increasingly significant role in the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century in politics, economics, geography, and culture. One of the main concepts of the migration literature is the concept of immigrant's identity. For an immigrant an ability to formulate a new identity goes through the process of embracing a sense of belonging to two or more cultures. It is important to consider that immigration and its depiction in the 21st fiction has gained new meaning. The convergence of migration and globalization has reshaped the understanding of immigrant's self. Conflicts between the native culture and the host one are transformed into dialogues. In the article we are referring to Amin Maalouf's idea about transnational or mixed identity. He argues for the multiple identities in contemporary societies. The same approach has been verbalized in the research of Carola Suárez-Orozco who proposes the concept of cosmopolitan identity which embraces the sense of belonging to a global culture of inclusion. Today the work of identity formation is to synthesize different cultures. The article sets out to explore the psycho-emotional dynamics in the retrospective narrative of Dina Nayeri's novel "Refuge". It is argued that the act of self-reflective retrospection entails a steady decrease in a temporal distance between the narrator and the narrated. In the act of remembering the past the narrator of the novel discloses not only the moments of resentment of her Iranian identity but comes to understanding that to move forward she needs to acknowledge her past. Psycho-emotional dynamics of her meetings with a father develops from the complete resentment to the recognition of her Iranian identity. The moral distance between the narrator and the narrated permitted by the temporal distance between the past and the present helps the main protagonist, Niloo, to understand her desire to distance herself from the Iranian past. She starts building her new identity after embracing her cultural heritage. It is concluded that immigrant's identity today is based on the productive dialogue between different cultures which are united in one traumatized body of an immigrant.

Moral Distance, AI, and the Ethics of Care

Moral Distance, AI, and the Ethics of Care

Investigation the Levels of Moral Distancing of Wrestling Athletes in Terms of Some Demographic Changes (Sample of U20 Athletes)

Investigation the Levels of Moral Distancing of Wrestling Athletes in Terms of Some Demographic Changes (Sample of U20 Athletes)

Boltanski’s dilemma: Mimetics, distance and spectating suffering

Working from the Crucifixion episode or pageant from the York Corpus Christi Play, two questions were asked of the spectator: 1. How do they look at such a theatre (scene) from their own time and culture and experiences? 2. How do we look at such a theatre (scene) from our own time and culture and experiences? A third question may now be asked by following what we may call ‘Boltanski’s dilemma’: what sort of pity can we really feel for an imaginary scene on the stage? This article will revisit the earlier piece (2010) as archive material to develop key themes now encapsulated by Boltanski’s question and challenge. The article will draw on current neuro-cognitive research that challenges and re-grounds our understanding of empathy and projection of self in the embodied mind. This informs the spectatorial experience, the spectator’s ability to see and accept the ‘double reality’ of the theatre and other visual (mimetic) experience, and the issues of ‘moral distance’ represented by Boltanski, Bandura and others. Boltanski’s dilemma confronts us as knowing spectators with the inherent ethical paradox of any and all representations of suffering in any given cultural and social context. The article will draw on case studies from theatre(s), film and art to illustrate and exemplify the position of the spectator: in the spirit of ethos, a series of musings, of questions and signposts as well as arguments.

Trendy Monsters: The Nazis, the Perpetrator Turn, and Popular Culture

Trendy Monsters: The Nazis, the Perpetrator Turn, and Popular Culture