“If not Mine, She Won't Belong to Another”: Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement in a Femicide Perpetrator from Brazil

Case files can show how aggressors use different explanations to reduce the seriousness of their crime. We aimed to identify and categorize a 2016 Brazilian case file from a perpetrator of femicide, based on moral disengagement theory. Content analysis yielded 47 verbalized excerpts, with 70 disengagement occurrences. The most frequently used mechanisms throughout the aggressor's speeches consisted of moral justification and blaming the victim herself. Results indicated that he reduced the seriousness of the femicide and sought reduction of the consequences. We discuss how speeches in criminal cases can serve as a secondary source for producing data on violence.

The role of fixation disengagement and oculomotor preparation in gap saccade task is gap-duration dependent

The influence of internal brain state on behavioral performance is well illustrated by the gap-saccade task, in which saccades might be initiated with short latency (express saccade) or with long latency (regular saccade) even though the external visual condition is identical. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated that the internal brain state is different before the initiation of an express saccade than of a regular saccade. However, the reported origin of the fluctuation of internal brain state is disputed among previous studies, e.g., the fixation disengagement theory versus the oculomotor preparation theory. In the present study, we examined these two theories by analyzing the rate and direction of fixational saccades, i.e., small amplitude saccades during fixation period, because they could be modulated by internal brain state. Since fixation disengagement is not spatially tuned, it might affect the rate but not direction of fixational saccade. In contrast, oculomotor preparation can contain the spatial information for upcoming saccade, thus, it might have a distinct effect on fixational saccade direction. We found that the different spatiotemporal characteristics of fixational saccades among tasks with different gap durations reveals different driven force to change the internal brain state. Under short gap duration (100 ms), fixation disengagement plays a primary role in switching internal brain state. Conversely, under medium (200 ms) and long (400 ms) gap durations, oculomotor preparation plays a primary role. These results suggest that both fixation disengagement and oculomotor preparation can change the internal brain state, but their relative contributions are gap-duration dependent.

Moral Justifications for Negative Screen Tourist Behaviour

<p><b>Screen tourism has become increasingly more popular over the last two decades, and while it has positive benefits for stakeholders and destinations, screen tourists engaging in negative tourist behaviour has become a problem at popular screen tourism destinations. However, little is known about how screen tourists justify engaging in this negative behaviour. Bandura’s Moral Disengagement theory has been used in various non-tourism and tourism contexts to examine and explain how individuals justify negative behaviours. This thesis applies Moral Disengagement theory to negative tourist behaviour in a screen tourism context, aiming to examine screen tourists’ use of moral disengagement mechanisms to justify negative on-site tourist behaviour. It further draws on previous research and literature on fandom and level of leisure involvement to provide a better understanding of how these factors might influence screen tourists’ moral justification of negative behaviour. Data was collected using a self-administered online survey, distributed to individuals who self-identified as members of either the Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones fandoms, and received 243 eligible responses. The survey measured level of fandom involvement, participants’ use of moral disengagement mechanisms in three hypothetical scenarios presenting negative screen tourism related behaviours, and responses to Bandura’s Moral Disengagement scale. </b></p> <p>Findings from this research suggest that some screen tourists morally justify engaging in negative behaviour in some contexts. This aligns with findings from previous research on moral disengagement and tourism. Furthermore, this research finds that mechanisms that are centred on disregarding/distorting the perceived harm on the victim were most frequently used. Lastly, groups were found to differ in their use of moral justification mechanisms, indicating that fandom identification, the moral alignment of the fandom object, and level of involvement influence individuals’ use of moral justification. It is also argued that (screen) tourism and fandom communities both have characteristics that facilitate moral disengagement. This knowledge can support screen tourism stakeholders in screen tourism development, and in mitigation of negative behaviours.</p>

Moral Justifications for Negative Screen Tourist Behaviour

<p><b>Screen tourism has become increasingly more popular over the last two decades, and while it has positive benefits for stakeholders and destinations, screen tourists engaging in negative tourist behaviour has become a problem at popular screen tourism destinations. However, little is known about how screen tourists justify engaging in this negative behaviour. Bandura’s Moral Disengagement theory has been used in various non-tourism and tourism contexts to examine and explain how individuals justify negative behaviours. This thesis applies Moral Disengagement theory to negative tourist behaviour in a screen tourism context, aiming to examine screen tourists’ use of moral disengagement mechanisms to justify negative on-site tourist behaviour. It further draws on previous research and literature on fandom and level of leisure involvement to provide a better understanding of how these factors might influence screen tourists’ moral justification of negative behaviour. Data was collected using a self-administered online survey, distributed to individuals who self-identified as members of either the Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones fandoms, and received 243 eligible responses. The survey measured level of fandom involvement, participants’ use of moral disengagement mechanisms in three hypothetical scenarios presenting negative screen tourism related behaviours, and responses to Bandura’s Moral Disengagement scale. </b></p> <p>Findings from this research suggest that some screen tourists morally justify engaging in negative behaviour in some contexts. This aligns with findings from previous research on moral disengagement and tourism. Furthermore, this research finds that mechanisms that are centred on disregarding/distorting the perceived harm on the victim were most frequently used. Lastly, groups were found to differ in their use of moral justification mechanisms, indicating that fandom identification, the moral alignment of the fandom object, and level of involvement influence individuals’ use of moral justification. It is also argued that (screen) tourism and fandom communities both have characteristics that facilitate moral disengagement. This knowledge can support screen tourism stakeholders in screen tourism development, and in mitigation of negative behaviours.</p>

Power distance and leader integrity: The roles of moral disengagement and narcissism

The focus in most research on leader integrity has been on its positive consequences; however, studies on the antecedents of leader integrity are still lacking. Drawing on moral disengagement theory, in this empirical study we examined the relationship between power distance and leader integrity, and the roles of moral disengagement and narcissism in this relationship. We analyzed paired leader–subordinate data obtained from a survey conducted with 253 leaders and their direct subordinates in China. The results show that leaders' power distance was negatively related to their integrity, leader moral disengagement mediated the relationship between power distance and integrity, and narcissism positively moderated the relationship between power distance and moral disengagement. Moreover, narcissism strengthened the mediating effect of moral disengagement: The higher the level of narcissism, the stronger the indirect effect of power distance on leader integrity via moral disengagement. Our findings enrich the theory of leader integrity and provide guidance for preventing damage to leader integrity.

Social loafing in online brand communities: the roles of personality and dehumanization

PurposeThe biggest obstacle to the sustainable development of online brand communities is social loafing. Based on 3M Hierarchical Model of Personality, this paper aims to discuss the influence of the Big Five on social loafing in online brand communities, and consider the mediating role of dehumanization from the perspective of moral disengagement theory, so as to alleviate social loafing and promote the sustainable development of online brand communities.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected utilizing the online self-report questionnaires. Community members of mobile phone brands represented by HUAWEI and Xiaomi completed the questionnaire sets. Based on the responses of 214 participants, a structural equation modeling was applied to examine the relationship between Big Five on social loafing in online brand communities. Later, bootstrap analysis was used to further explore the indirect effect of dehumanization.FindingsOnly two personality traits, neuroticism and extroversion, have direct effect on social loafing, while agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness not. However, all the Big Five personality traits can indirectly influence social loafing through dehumanization.Originality/valueThis study introduces the concept of social loafing into online brand communities, and analyzes social loafing from the unique research perspective of moral disengagement theory, which can not only contribute to the development of moral disengagement theory and social loafing theory but also provide guiding points for relieving social loafing in online brand communities.

Agreeing with moral disengagement statements: an experimental study with young adults

How do individuals react to statements that condone acts of corruption and violence? This article contributes to the understanding of how people respond to discourses related to antisocial practices by examining how (1) information about the person who made the statement, and (2) the use of additional information as justification for the antisocial statement affect individuals’ agreement with this type of discourse. Relying on moral disengagement theory, we present an experimental study conducted with 487 high school students that assesses the level of agreement with statements made by Brazilian politicians that illustrate different mechanisms of moral disengagement. While overall results indicate low levels of agreement with these statements, comparisons across experimental groups suggest that providing case-based arguments as justification increases agreement with statements in favor of violence but reduces agreement with statements that condone acts of corruption.

The Aged Radio Body: Corporeality and Old Age in Beckett's All That Fall

This article sets out to examine the aged radio body in Samuel Beckett's All That Fall. Its main argument is that there is a conceptual symbiosis between the radiogenic problematisation of corporeality and the deliberate thematisation of old age in All That Fall. The two main issues explored in this article – which are inextricably intertwined – concern the notion of reluctant corporeality, that is, the idea that the radiophonic body in All That Fall is very real but also frail and therefore resented; and the understanding of old age as a crucial theme that can and should be interpreted in the light of different age theories, such as disengagement theory, irremediable regret, and the réveil mortel.