Moral Intuitions and Suicide Risk: Results from a National Sample of Icelandic Youth*

Social Forces ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Silver ◽  
Jasmine R Silver ◽  
Inga Dora Sigfusdottir
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Moral Intuitions ◽  
Advanced Country ◽  
Structural Forces ◽  
Individualistic Culture ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Combining insights from Moral Foundations Theory and the Durkheimian tradition, we examine the effects of moral intuitions on suicide risk. We argue that moral intuitions constitute a moral-regulative force that individuals bring with them into a range of socially structured settings and that influence their behavior independent of the structural forces in play in those settings. Focusing on Iceland, an economically advanced country with a largely secular and individualistic culture, and using data from a national sample of youth between the ages of 16 and 21 (N = 10,710), we find that group-oriented (binding) moral intuitions are associated with lower suicide risk while individual-oriented (individualizing) moral intuitions are associated with higher suicide risk. We also find an unexpected (non-linear) protective effect among respondents with strong individualizing moral intuitions, and some evidence that the effects of individualizing moral intuitions on suicide risk are conditioned by involvement in socially integrative relationships. Overall, our results suggest that the sociological study of suicide would be meaningfully improved by incorporating moral intuitions into the model.

The Nature and Role of Morality in Offending: A Moral Foundations Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 002242782096020
Author(s):  
Jasmine R. Silver ◽  
Eric Silver
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Intuitions ◽  
Binomial Regression ◽  
Two Factors

Objectives: Criminologists have long viewed morality as a critical element in offending. However, two factors limit the theoretical impact of prior work. First, no overarching framework for describing the nature and role of morality has been developed. Second, morality has been measured in a narrow manner as the extent to which individuals disapprove of particular acts of offending. To address these limitations, we examine the utility of a moral psychological framework—Moral Foundations Theory (MFT)—that fits remarkably well with the conceptions of morality found in criminological theorizing (i.e., that morality inhibits offending, has intuitive and pluralistic dimensions, and under certain circumstances may motivate offending). Methods: We use negative binomial regression to model self-reported counts of violence, group violence, theft, property damage, marijuana use, and illegal phone use while driving, in a large national sample of Icelandic youths (n = 10,710). Results: We find that individualizing moral intuitions centered on rights and autonomy and binding moral intuitions centered on social order and cohesion are uniquely associated with different types of offending and exhibit inhibiting or motivating effects depending on the outcome. Conclusion: MFT holds considerable promise as a framework for conducting criminological research on the relationship between morality and offending.

Attending to the Multidimensional Nature of Spirituality and Faith: Integrating Spiritual Development and Moral Foundations Theory

2021 ◽  
pp. 073989132098616
Author(s):  
Tyler S. Greenway
Keyword(s):  
Christian Education ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Narrow Range ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory ◽  
Moral Intuitions ◽  
Psychological Study

The psychological study of spiritual development continues to grow in popularity, but definitions, theories, and frameworks related to this field often focus on a narrow range of qualities associated with spirituality. In the present article, the importance of integrating intuitive cognition—particularly moral intuitions—into models of spiritual development is considered, the implications of such cognition for spiritual development and Christian education are examined, and various limitations are noted.

All Things Being Equal: Distinguishing Proportionality and Equity in Moral Reasoning

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Skurka ◽  
Liana B. Winett ◽  
Hannah Jarman-Miller ◽  
Jeff Niederdeppe
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Moral Judgment ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory ◽  
Potential Bias ◽  
Calibration Sample

Moral foundations theory (MFT) has been a useful framework for understanding moral judgment and its relationship to political leaning. However, some have argued that MFT omits key domains of moral reasoning. We explored the utility of two candidate foundations (Proportionality and Equity) with a national sample of U.S. adults recruited through Nielsen’s Harris Panel, randomly split into calibration ( n = 1,499) and replication samples ( n = 1,499). We find that Proportionality and Equity are conceptually distinct from the original foundations (as measured in the Moral Foundations Questionnaire [MFQ]) but relate to them in predictable ways. Equity consistently predicted political leaning above and beyond covariates and the original foundations, but Proportionality only distinguished conservatives from liberals in the calibration sample, which suggests Proportionality may be highly relevant to moral judgments regardless of political ideology. Our findings also indicate potential bias when using one of the MFQ’s screener items to filter out unengaged participants.

scholarly journals Moral foundations theory and the psychology of charitable giving

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Nilsson ◽  
Arvid Erlandsson ◽  
Daniel Västfjäll
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Charitable Giving ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory ◽  
Moral Intuitions ◽  
The Real ◽  
Harm Prevention ◽  
The Relationship

Moral foundations theory proposes that intuitions about what is morally right or wrong rest upon a set of universal foundations. Although this theory has generated a recent surge of research, few studies have investigated the real-world moral consequences of the postulated moral intuitions. We show that they are predictably associated with an important type of moral behavior. Stronger individualizing intuitions (fairness and harm prevention) and weaker binding intuitions (loyalty, authority, and sanctity) were associated with the willingness to comply with a request to volunteer for charity and with the amount of self-reported donations to charity organizations. Among participants who complied with the request, individualizing intuitions predicted the allocation of donations to causes that benefit outgroups, whereas binding intuitions predicted the allocation of donations to causes that benefit the ingroup. The associations between moral foundations and self-report measures of allocations in a hypothetical dilemma and concern with helping ingroup and outgroup victims were similar. Moral foundations predicted charitable giving over and above effects of political ideology, religiosity, and demographics, although variables within these categories also exhibited unique effects on charitable giving and accounted for a portion of the relationship between moral foundations and charitable giving.

Validation of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire with three Chinese ethnic groups

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Du
Keyword(s):  
Gender Difference ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory

Moral foundations theory is claimed to be universally applicable and is classified into 5 foundations of morality: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, respect/subversion, and purity/degradation. This theory has not been tested in the Eastern cultural context. Therefore, in this study I addressed this lack in the context of China, where there are people of a number of different ethnicities. I adopted the Moral Foundations Questionnaire, which was completed by 761 Chinese of Han, Uygur, and Tibetan ethnicity. The results show that there was no gender difference in morality foundation scores, but the differences among ethnic groups were significant: Tibetans scored lower than did Han and Uygur in care and fairness, and Uygur scored higher than Han and Tibetans did in loyalty, respect, and purity. The interactions between gender and ethnic group were significant for care, fairness, and respect. These findings suggest that moral foundations theory is applicable to China, that the Moral Foundations Questionnaire can also be partially applied to Chinese, and that ethnicity is an influential factor when people make moral judgments.

Political Orientations and Morality Judgments in the Turkish Context: Considering the Roles of the Needs for Cognition and Recognition

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329411989990
Author(s):  
Burcu Tekeş ◽  
E. Olcay Imamoğlu ◽  
Fatih Özdemir ◽  
Bengi Öner-Özkan
Keyword(s):  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Group Loyalty ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
Collectivistic Culture

The aims of this study were to test: (a) the association of political orientations with morality orientations, specified by moral foundations theory, on a sample of young adults from Turkey, representing a collectivistic culture; and (b) the statistically mediating roles of needs for cognition and recognition in the links between political orientation and morality endorsements. According to the results (a) right-wing orientation and need for recognition were associated with all the three binding foundations (i.e., in-group/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity); (b) right-wing orientation was associated with binding foundations also indirectly via the role of need for recognition; (c) regarding individualizing foundations, left-wing orientation and need for cognition were associated with fairness/reciprocity, whereas only gender was associated with harm/care; and (d) left-wing orientation was associated with fairness dimension also indirectly via the role of need for cognition. The cultural relevance of moral foundations theory as well as the roles of needs for cognition and recognition are discussed.

The Utility of Family Life Cycle as a Theoretical and Empirical Tool

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn A. Kapinus ◽  
Michael P. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Family Life Cycle ◽  
Predictive Tool ◽  
The Family ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Married Men ◽  
Using Data

Using data from a 1980 national sample of married men and women, the analysis examines the utility of the family life cycle concept, employing as dependent variables constructs from Johnson’s conceptualization of commitment. They argue, in disagreement with two classic critiques of the family life cycle concept, that the predictive power of family life cycle is, for many dependent variables, quite independent of age or length of marriage. Their analyses demonstrate that, when using dependent variables one would expect to be related to the presence and ages of children, family life cycle remains a useful predictive tool.

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