Role Of Moral Disengagement Research Articles

The role of moral disengagement in youth bullying behaviour.

Moral disengagement, a term coined by Bandura, explains how people can hurt others and behave immorally, contradicting their beliefs and values and yet live peaceably with themselves. He developed a conceptual model of moral disengagement based on the Social Cognitive Theory of moral agency. By activating moral disengagement mechanisms, people can disregard their moral standards and behave immorally without any self-censure. This paper synthesises the extensive research on moral disengagement in a youth bullying context to demonstrate the conceptual strength of moral disengagement theory for research and interventions on bullying. It advances the understanding of the contextual basis of moral disengagement by examining its diverse role in bullying episodes that includes bullying perpetration, bullying victimisation and bullying bystanders. The analysis of the different components of moral disengagement representing the loci of the disengagement mechanisms sheds light on how the disengagement processes function in the youth bullying context. Its role as both a moderator and mediator further advances its divergent functioning in the youth bullying context. Finally, implications of the review for advancing knowledge on the moral basis of youth bullying are discussed with suggestions for the development of interventions to attenuate the use of moral disengagement.

The role of moral disengagement and lack of empathy in cyberbullying: How school nurses can respond

Cyberbullying offers no escape for its victims and provides little opportunity for children and young people (CYP) to defend themselves. Many interventions relating to all forms of bullying focus primarily on victims and the negative effects that it causes toward their emotional health. There is a requirement, however, for school nurses (SNs) to develop an understanding of the differing roles CYP may adopt in the bullying process, in order for universal preventative interventions to be developed, in collaboration with schools and specialist agencies, which target all children. This article explores the risk factors associated with cyberbullying (e.g. moral disengagement and lack of empathy), both as a victim and perpetrator, and protective factors which could aid in the development of preventative intervention strategies for school nurses.

The Role of Moral Disengagement, Self-Efficacy and Social-Anxiety in Secondary School Teachers’ Prejudice: A Person-Centered Approach

Teachers play a crucial role in fostering inclusive school environments for students from diverse backgrounds. However, harboring prejudiced attitudes towards minority students can have adverse social and psychological effects on these individuals. This study investigates the ethnic and homophobic prejudice profiles of Italian secondary school teachers (N = 552, Mage = 46.15, 76.4% females) using a person-centered approach. It explores how these prejudice profiles predict moral disengagement mechanisms, self-efficacy, and social anxiety among teachers. Participants completed assessments on subtle and blatant ethnic prejudice, attitudes toward the representation of homosexuality, moral disengagement, self-efficacy in teaching, and social anxiety. Latent profile analysis identified three prejudice profiles among teachers: low, moderate, and high prejudice. The results, based on a structural equation model, revealed that teachers with high prejudice profiles were more likely to employ moral disengagement mechanisms and reported higher levels of social anxiety. The study underscores the significance of interventions and monitoring efforts tailored to educators, encompassing their social, moral, and individual dimensions.

Morality in romantic relationships: The role of moral disengagement in relationship satisfaction, definitions of infidelity, and committed cheating

AbstractDespite the moral condemnation of infidelity in romantic relationships, its prevalence remains widespread. This might be partly explained by moral disengagement (MD), the ability to decouple one's actions from internalized moral standards. While social influences are an inherent part of the conceptualization of MD, they have not been studied in romantic couples. We investigated connections between MD and relationship satisfaction, cheating definitions, and cheating in a sample of 236 dating and married couples. Partners' levels of MD were positively correlated. Actor‐Partner‐Interdependence Models (APIMs) revealed negative actor and partner effects of MD on relationship satisfaction. MD was not connected to which behaviors are seen as cheating, but there were positive actor and partner effects on committed self‐defined cheating. Additionally, individuals high in MD suspected their partners to cheat more. These results indicate a gap between moral beliefs and moral actions. Individuals high in MD do not necessarily deny cheating on their partner but rather choose not to follow their inner moral compass.

Dark Triad and the attitude toward military violence against civilians: The role of moral disengagement

AbstractScholars pay great attention to sociopsychological factors that predict attitudes toward military action, but they rarely address personality variables. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between the Dark Triad traits, general moral disengagement, and military attitudes. We conducted three surveys between May and November 2022 in three samples of Russian residents (N = 736, 795, and 752). The results showed that the Dark Triad was only marginally related to attitudes toward military action abroad, but emerged as a consistent positive predictor of support for violence against civilians with psychopathy showing the strongest effect. Moreover, this relationship was mediated by moral disengagement. At the same time, Big Five traits and sociopsychological variables predicted the attitudes toward military action, but were generally unrelated to the attitudes toward violence against civilians. The findings suggest the existence of distinct pathways underlying the support of general military action and unethical military action.

Longitudinal predictors of online dating aggression: Similarities and differences between control and intrusiveness

Technological advances have led to dating aggression being perpetrated online, with online control and online intrusiveness (repeated attempts to gain access to one’s partner after an argument) being two of the most prevalent forms. Previous studies have made headway in terms of identifying the correlates of online control, but longitudinal studies are still scarce. Furthermore, the predictors of online intrusiveness are yet unknown. The present study aimed to explore the cognitive and emotional predictors of these two types of online dating aggression. The role of moral disengagement (MD), anger dysregulation and online jealousy were analysed. A total of 467 Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 19 years (M = 14.03, SD = 1.41, 57.2% girls) with recent romantic experience participated in a longitudinal study with two time points (W1, W2) separated by a four-month interval. The results revealed that, although all variables were correlated, predictors varied in accordance with the specific form of online aggression analysed. Online control aggression at W2 was predicted by previous involvement in online control and online intrusiveness aggression, high levels of anger dysregulation (W1) and online jealousy (W1). In contrast, online intrusiveness aggression at W2 was predicted by prior involvement in the same form of online aggression and poor anger regulation (W1). Moral disengagement lost its predictive value when emotional variables were incorporated. The results highlight the multidimensional nature of online dating aggression in adolescent couples and suggest that, although the strong link between online control and intrusiveness should be taken into consideration, the two forms of aggression should be explored independently.

Effects of Workplace Ostracism on Pro-Job Unethical Behavior: The Role of Moral Disengagement, Interpersonal Sensitivity and Self-Serving Political Will.

Drawing on social cognition theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of workplace ostracism on pro-job unethical behavior by studying the mediating function of moral disengagement and the moderating function of interpersonal sensitivity and self-serving political will. Data were congregated from 527 Chinese employees. A positive effect of workplace ostracism on pro-job unethical behavior was found, which was partially mediated by moral disengagement. In addition, interpersonal sensitivity strengthened the connection between workplace ostracism and moral disengagement, and self-serving political will strengthened the connection between moral disengagement and pro-job unethical behavior. Both theoretical and practical value are discussed in the study.

The Role of Moral Disengagement in the Relationships between Ethical Ideology and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviour

There is growing research by a group of researcher on unethical pro-organisation behaviour (UPB) especially after the misconduct of carbon emission by Volkswagen, the researchers have trying to understand why, how and when employees would conduct UPB by using various theories (Mishra et al., 2021) including moral disengagement theory (Mishra et al., 2021). Drawing from moral disengagement theory (Bandura, 1990) we argue that moral disengagement mechanism mediates the relationships between ethical ideology and UPB. As the literature of moral disengagement in unethical behaviour and UPB heavily tested and rely on moral disengagement as unidimensional construct, so less is known which mechanisms of moral disengagement influence employees behaviour (Ogunfowora et al., 2021). So, this paper will examine how idealist and relativist adopting moral disengagement mechanisms in justifying their immoral act of UPB. The study is a cross sectional study which the data was collected through paper and pencil survey. A total of 387 responses were collected from private sectors employees in Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents received RM10 KFC voucher as a token. The data quality measures were used by including attention check questions and marker variable (Moore et al., 2021). All the responses were measured using 7-likert scale, where 1 – strongly disagree and 7-strongly agree. Employees ethical ideology was measured using 20 items by (Forsyth, 1980), moral disengagement was measured using 32 items by (Bandura, 1990), and UPB was measure using 6 items by (Umphress et al., 2010), The analysis was conducted using SPSS Version 27, and the mediation analysis was tested using PROCESS. Keywords: Unethical pro-organizational behaviour, moral disengagement, ethical ideology

The role of moral disengagement and authoritarian parenting style towards cyberbullying attitude among social media users

The increase in internet users and the lack of ethics in using the internet have become one of the phenomena that trigger cyberbullying on social media among adolescents. Various internal and external factors can influence cyberbullying attitudes, including moral disengagement and authoritarian parenting style. This study examines the role of moral disengagement and authoritarian parenting style towards cyberbullying attitudes in social media users. The participants in this study were 271 junior high school students aged 12-15 years, accessing social media for more than 2 hours a day and living with both parents. The data collection method used a survey by distributing questionnaires to junior high schools in Surabaya. The scales used were Cyberbullying Attitudes, Moral Disengagement Scale, and Authoritarian Parenting Style (PAQ). The data analysis technique used multiple regression analysis. Reporting multiple regression results in the role of moral disengagement and authoritarian parenting style towards cyberbullying attitudes, R²=0.434, F(102.626), p<0.001 from the mother side and R²=0.432, F(102.003), p<0.001 from father side. However, in this study, 43% contribution comes from moral disengagement, and the authoritarian parenting style has no effect, considering that research participants are individuals in the stage of social identity confusion, so the role of peers could be more influential.

To intervene or not intervene: the role of moral disengagement, self-control, and empathy in bullying bystander intervention

ABSTRACT Prior research has documented that bystanders to bullying incidents play an important role in preventing and discontinuing bullying victimization among adolescents. However, there is little research that focuses on the bystander intervention strategies that adults engage in when they witness bullying. Using data collected from 576 adults aged 18 to 50 who resided in the United States and had witnessed at least one bullying incident, the current study sought to understand how commonly adults intervene when they witness a bullying incident, what types of intervention they engage in when they respond to bullying, and what factors impact intervention strategies. Specifically, we sought to explain types of bystander intervention strategies using a multi-theoretical framework including moral disengagement, low self-control, and empathy. Results suggest that the theoretically relevant variables impacted some types of bystander intervention strategies but not all. The findings have important implications for bullying intervention programming, which are discussed.

Evaluating the Covid‐19 pandemic: The role of moral disengagement

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic affected daily life worldwide. We examined how individuals perceived these changes. We expected the propensity to morally disengage (MD) to predict a less negative view of the pandemic via lower perspective‐taking and compassion. As predicted, the results of a cross‐sectional study (N = 717) show that alongside dispositional optimism, MD was associated with perceiving the pandemic in a less negative manner. Unexpectedly, the proposed mediating effects were not found. Exploratory results showed that MD predicted existential security directly and quality of life indirectly via lower compassion. Altogether, MD may provide some benefits in terms of pandemic perceptions.

Association between childhood exposure to domestic violence and violent extremism: Role of moral disengagement

Association between childhood exposure to domestic violence and violent extremism: Role of moral disengagement

Bystanders’ reactions to leader knowledge hiding: The roles of moral disengagement and moral identity

PurposeThis study aims to explore the trickle-down effect of leader knowledge hiding from the perspective of bystanders. Based on social cognitive theory, this study developed and tested a moderated mediation model between bystander perception of leader knowledge hiding (i.e., evasive hiding, playing dumb, and rationalized hiding) and bystander knowledge hiding, especially the mediating role of bystander moral disengagement and the moderating role of bystander moral identity. Design/methodology/approachUsing a two-stage time-lagged design, we collected data from three high-tech enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. The hypothetical model was estimated through Hayes PROCESS macro. FindingsThe results showed that: (a) bystander perception of leader unethical knowledge hiding (i.e., evasive hiding and playing dumb) had a positive correlation with bystander knowledge hiding through bystander moral disengagement; (b) bystander moral identity significantly moderated the positive relationship between bystander perception of leader unethical knowledge hiding (i.e., evasive hiding and playing dumb) and bystander moral disengagement; and (c) bystander moral identity significantly moderated the indirect effect of bystander perception of leader unethical knowledge hiding (i.e., evasive hiding and playing dumb) on bystander knowledge hiding via bystander moral disengagement. Originality/ValueWe explored the impact of three types of knowledge hiding by leaders from a bystander perspective, breaking the previous limitations of only exploring knowledge hiding behaviors from the perspective of victims or perpetrators. Besides, this study further verified the different effects between different types of leader knowledge hiding, contributing to a deeper understanding of the dimensions of leader knowledge hiding. In addition, by providing a new perspective (i.e., social cognitive perspective of moral self-regulation), this study opens the internal “black box” mechanism of the influence of bystander perception of leader knowledge hiding and clarify the boundary conditions for the influence of bystander perception of leader knowledge hiding on bystander knowledge hiding.

Harsh parental discipline and school bullying among Chinese adolescents: The role of moral disengagement and deviant peer affiliation

School bullying is prevalent worldwide and poses a serious threat to the safety of school and students. However, few studies have explored the relationship between harsh parental discipline and adolescents’ school bullying. The current study aims to explore the internal mechanism between the two in the Chinese cultural context, and further test the mediating effect of moral disengagement and the moderating effect of deviant peer affiliation. This study recruited 1,246 students in eastern and southern China (average age = 14.48 ± 1.48) to complete the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale, Moral Disengagement Scale, Deviant Peer Affiliation Scale, and the Olweus Bully Questionnaire. The results showed that: The prevalence of school bullying among adolescents accounted for 33.5 %, from most to least are verbal bullying, relational bullying and physical bullying. Harsh parental discipline positively predicted school bullying among Chinese adolescents. After controlling for gender and school type, moral disengagement partially mediated the association between harsh parental discipline and school bullying, and deviant peer affiliation moderated the first and second halves of the mediation effect. Current findings reveal that parents should adopt proper parenting styles and intervene appropriately in their children’s dating choices.

Integrating prosocial and proenvironmental behaviors: the role of moral disengagement and peer social norms

Prosocial behaviors, and more recently, proenvironmental behaviors, have been proposed as two dimensions of an overarching disposition towards the common good. Both behaviors imply a moral dimension and are influenced by the social contexts in which they unfold. In the present study we test these associations, assessing the effect of moral disengagement and peer social norms on prosocial and proenvironmental behaviors. We analyzed the first data wave of an ongoing longitudinal study including 704 Chilean adolescents (301 male, 378 female and 25 do not answer; from 6th to 10th graders). Structural Equation Models showed that prosocial and proenvironmental behaviors were significantly associated with each other, and both with moral disengagement. Direct and cross effects of peer social norms were found for prosocial and proenvironmental behaviors. Moreover, peer social norms on proenvironmental behavior moderated the association between moral disengagement and individual proenvironmental behavior, but the same moderation effect for prosocial norms was not observed. These results highlight the moral nature of prosocial and proenvironmental behaviors and the relevant role that peers have in promoting these behaviors. Results are further discussed regarding their educational and developmental implications.

Predicting Pro-environmental Intention and Behavior Based on Justice Sensitivity, Moral Disengagement, and Moral Emotions - Results of Two Quota-Sampling Surveys.

The effects of climate change lead to increasing social injustice and hence justice is intrinsically linked to a socio-ecological transformation. In this study, we investigate whether justice sensitivity motivates pro-environmental intention (PEI) and behavior (PEB) and, if so, to what extent emotions and moral disengagement determine this process. For this purpose, we conducted two quota-sampling surveys (Study 1: N = 174, Study 2: N = 880). Multiple regression analyses in both studies suggest that a higher perception of injustice from a perpetrator’s, beneficiary’s, and observer’s perspective is associated with an increased PEI. However, moral disengagement best predicted PEB and PEI. Guilt and authentic pride were found to be emotional predictors of PEI. Additionally, mediation analyses demonstrated that guilt mediates the connection between both perpetrator and beneficiary sensitivity and PEI. These results suggest that when the predominant originators of climate change (i.e., individuals from industrialized countries) perceive global climate injustice from the perspective of a beneficiary or a perpetrator, they experience guilt and have a higher PEI. Based on this mechanism, it seems promising to render global injustice more salient to those responsible for activities that lead to climate change to motivate them to adapt their behavior. The role of moral disengagement and victim sensitivity as barriers to pro-environmental behavior is discussed in this context.

Impact of Moral Disengagement on Counterproductive work behaviours in IT Sector, Pakistan

This research examines the role of moral disengagement towards counterproductive work behaviour in the information technology sector of Pakistan. Furthermore, research is also focused on the mediating effect of information security awareness (Attitude & knowledge) and information security awareness behaviours. The target population consisted of public sector I.T. departments of Punjab, Pakistan. A convenience sampling technique is utilized. Data collection has been done through a survey questionnaire from technical and non-technical staff currently employed in the Public sector I.T. departments of province Punjab. Statistical software PLS-SEM is used for analysis. This study highlights the role of the information technology sector staffing level of engagement that affects the employee’s counterproductive work behaviour and information security awareness behaviour. Moreover, the study proposes that management should take the initiative for the implementation of strategies that may be helpful to get awareness about information security amongst employees.

The Dark Tetrad, Intimate Partner Violence and the Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement.

Research suggests that physical, psychological, and/or sexual focussed Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is related to the dark triad (DT) traits of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. This study extends these findings by considering the addition of everyday sadism into the four-dimension dark tetrad (DTET), testing the possibility that moral disengagement (MD) mediates the relationship between these variables. It was also examined whether the DTET provided incremental validity to the more general personality traits Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness (HEXACO) to predict IPV. Males and females (N = 416) from the general population completed five questionnaires in an online survey (HEXACO-60, MMEA, PMDS, CTS2S, SD4). A principal component factor-analysis found that sexual IPV did not load as an individual factor and distinct form of violence on the CTS2S scale so was excluded from this study. Four hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted, using the demographics, HEXACO and either the DTET traits or an overall DTET variable as predictor variables, and either physical or psychological IPV as the dependent variables. Only psychopathy predicted physical and psychological IPV; MD mediated the relationship between psychopathy and psychological IPV. Although the DTET added incremental validity over HEXACO to predict physical IPV, HEXACO low Agreeableness was the strongest predictor of psychological IPV. Those higher in psychopathy may show different offending trajectories for physical and psychological IPV dependent upon the use of MD processes. Despite the DTET adding incremental validity over the HEXACO dimensions, some HEXACO elements better explain the relationship between personality and psychological IPV than the DTET.

Empathy and cyberbystander behavior: The role of moral disengagement

Empathy and cyberbystander behavior: The role of moral disengagement

Moral Disengagement Cues and Consequences for Victims in Entertainment Narratives: an Experimental Investigation

ABSTRACT The role of moral disengagement in evaluating narrative character behaviors has been a source of scholarly investigation for some time. Despite a theoretical interest in the process, little work has experimentally manipulated content features related to the mechanisms proposed by Bandura in his selective moral disengagement model. This paper presents the results of an experiment that manipulates the presence/absence of a victim of an immoral protagonist’s actions in an audio-visual narrative. We measure various narrative engagement variables including perspective-taking, approbation of behavior, and character liking. Thus, our study design tests content cues corresponding to Bandura’s selective moral disengagement hypotheses and links them to variables specified in Zillmann’s affective disposition theory. Findings indicate that perspective-taking with the immoral protagonist is enhanced when the victim is absent. Perspective-taking then has downstream effects on other narrative processing variables, such as character judgments, desires for specific story outcomes, and punitiveness toward similar real-world behaviors. The design of the current study thus provides a roadmap for future research, and we discuss the value of carefully manipulating narrative cues in order to encourage or discourage moral disengagement in viewers.