Predictors of Moral Disengagement in Sport

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 646-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Light Shields ◽  
Christopher D. Funk ◽  
Brenda Light Bredemeier
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Intercollegiate Athletes ◽  
Moral Attentiveness

Researchers have made productive use of Bandura’s (1991) construct of moral disengagement (MD) to help explain why sport participants deviate from ethical ideals. In this study of intercollegiate athletes from diverse sports (N = 713), we examined MD in relation to other character-related variables: empathy, moral identity, moral attentiveness, and contesting orientations. We also examined whether moral attentiveness conforms to the pattern of “bracketed morality” found in moral reasoning (Shields & Bredemeier, 1995) and moral behavior (Kavussanu, Boardley, Sagar, & Ring, 2013). Results indicated that MD correlated positively with perceptual moral attentiveness and war contesting orientation; MD correlated negatively with empathy, moral identity, reflective moral attentiveness, and partnership contesting orientation. Results of hierarchical regression demonstrated that gender, contesting orientations, moral identity, and one form of moral attentiveness were significant predictors of MD. Finally, sport participants were found to be less morally attentive in sport than in everyday life.

Bracketed Morality Revisited: How Do Athletes Behave in Two Contexts?

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kavussanu ◽  
Ian D. Boardley ◽  
Sam S. Sagar ◽  
Christopher Ring
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Ego Orientation ◽  
Highly Correlated

The concept of bracketed morality has received empirical support in several sport studies (e.g., Bredemeier & Shields, 1986a, 1986b). However, these studies have focused on moral reasoning. In this research, we examined bracketed morality with respect to moral behavior in sport and university contexts, in two studies. Male and female participants (Study 1: N = 331; Study 2: N = 372) completed questionnaires assessing prosocial and antisocial behavior toward teammates and opponents in sport and toward other students at university. Study 2 participants also completed measures of moral disengagement and goal orientation in both contexts. In most cases, behavior in sport was highly correlated with behavior at university. In addition, participants reported higher prosocial behavior toward teammates and higher antisocial behavior toward opponents in sport than toward other students at university. The effects of context on antisocial behavior were partially mediated by moral disengagement and ego orientation. Our findings extend the bracketed morality concept to prosocial and antisocial behavior.

Innocent cheaters: a new scale measuring the moral disengagement of marital infidelity

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Lișman ◽  
ANDREI CORNELIU HOLMAN
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Marital Relationships ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Total N ◽  
Dominant Strategies ◽  
Marital Infidelity ◽  
Attribution Of Blame ◽  
Moral Justifications

Marital infidelity is both socially perceived as immoral and very frequent. This contradiction might be explained through the process of moral disengagement, specifically by the use of certain socially shared moral justifications of infidelity, which consequently foster unfaithful behavior. This research developed and examined the Infidelity Moral Disengagement Scale (IMDS), aiming to capture the strategies of morally legitimizing infidelity used among people engaged in marital relationships. Across two studies (total N = 609 married participants) we investigated the dimensions and psychometric properties of the IMDS. Results showed that the dominant strategies of legitimizing marital infidelity are the diffusion of responsibility, the attribution of blame on the cheated partner, advantageous comparisons with other immoral acts, justifying infidelity through certain benefits, and minimizing its negative consequences. The IMDS emerged as negatively related to moral identity and strongly associated to people’s past infidelity and to their tendency to engage in unfaithful behaviors.

Will Creative Employees Always Make Trouble? Investigating the Roles of Moral Identity and Moral Disengagement

2017 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Zheng ◽  
Xin Qin ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
Hui Liao
Keyword(s):  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Moral Identity

On properly characterizing moral agency

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaine J. Fowers ◽  
Austen R. Anderson ◽  
Samantha F. Lang
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Moral Agency ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Situational Influences

AbstractDoris (2015b) develops a theory of moral agency to avoid a skeptical challenge arising from psychology studies indicating that (im)moral behavior is caused by trivial situational factors. His theory is flawed in attending only to situational influences on behavior and neglecting individual differences such as moral identity and virtue. A focus on individual differences in resilience to influence from trivial situational factors defangs the skeptical challenge and offers a better account of moral agency.

School Climate and Adolescents’ Cyberbullying Perpetration: A Moderated Mediation Model of Moral Disengagement and Friends’ Moral Identity

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051986008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingchao Wang ◽  
Fengqing Zhao ◽  
Jiping Yang ◽  
Li Lei
Keyword(s):  
School Climate ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Climate Scale ◽  
Indirect Relationship

Based on an integration of the positive youth development model and the social cognitive theory, friends’ moral identity was examined as a moderator of the direct and indirect relations between school climate and adolescent’s cyberbullying perpetration via moral disengagement. Participants were 404 Chinese adolescents ( Mage = 13.53 years, SD = 0.92). They completed the Perceived School Climate Scale and the Moral Identity Scale and nominated up to three friends whom they considered to be their “best friend” in their classroom at Time 1. After 6 months, they completed the Moral Disengagement Scale and the Cyberbullying Scale at Time 2. Results showed that adolescents who experienced positive school climate were less likely to cyberbully others, which was mediated by their moral disengagement. Friends’ moral identity moderated the direct and indirect relations between school climate and cyberbullying perpetration. Specifically, the indirect relationship between school climate and cyberbullying perpetration through moral disengagement became nonsignificant for adolescents interacting with high moral identity friends. The direct association between school climate and cyberbullying perpetration was moderated by friends’ moral identity.

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