Reflecting upon my last two posts it seems evident that human beings
do not always act according to moral standards. In psychology, we use
the expression “mechanisms of moral disengagement”, there are
justifications that allow us to abandon moral standards (so that we can
have unkind or reprehensible behaviour) without feel guilty. The
psychologist Albert Bandura classified 8 mechanisms. Would you like to
see them?
Diffusion of responsibility.
"Do you help him, or do I help him?". We’ve seen this before. If we are all guilty, then my part is not so great. Do we see someone in trouble? No one wants to help. Why should I feel guilty?
Displacement of responsibility.
"Oh, it’s not my fault, he told me to do it!". We’ve already seen this one. My superior gives me the order to do something reprehensible, and I do it. Who should feel guilty is him, not me.
Moral justification.
"It is for my people!". During war, it is permissible to kill because you are pursuing an important goal, such as freedom or defence of the people. There’s no space for guilt.
"Do you help him, or do I help him?". We’ve seen this before. If we are all guilty, then my part is not so great. Do we see someone in trouble? No one wants to help. Why should I feel guilty?
Displacement of responsibility.
"Oh, it’s not my fault, he told me to do it!". We’ve already seen this one. My superior gives me the order to do something reprehensible, and I do it. Who should feel guilty is him, not me.
Moral justification.
"It is for my people!". During war, it is permissible to kill because you are pursuing an important goal, such as freedom or defence of the people. There’s no space for guilt.
Euphemistic labeling.
"It’s not true that I beat him to death, it was a game between friends, no more!". It sounds better, true? Now, it’s not so serious anymore. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.
"It’s not true that I beat him to death, it was a game between friends, no more!". It sounds better, true? Now, it’s not so serious anymore. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.
Advantageous comparison.
"Okay, let’s say I acted badly. But did you see what he did? Compared to what I did, it was a generous act". It’s not worth feeling guilty, if what the other did is worse than what we did.
"Okay, let’s say I acted badly. But did you see what he did? Compared to what I did, it was a generous act". It’s not worth feeling guilty, if what the other did is worse than what we did.
Distortion of consequences.
"Did you see how he behaves now? Thanks to my severity, his behaviour is so exemplary". With an inappropriate behaviour, do we think we got a good result? Then, no guilt.
Dehumanization.
"They are animals and should be treated as such!". The victim is not human, so there is no guilt if we treat them as an animal (obviously it is not clear why treating an animal badly is not serious).
Attribution of blame.
"He started it! I just reacted." We cannot feel guilty if our behaviour is nothing more than a simple "uncontrollable" reaction to a provocation.
Have you ever justified your inappropriate behaviour? If so, did you recognize one of Bandura’s mechanisms?
If you want me to describe in my own words a topic of psychology, please request it in the comment section.
Cited sources: Bandura et al. (1996). Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency.
"Did you see how he behaves now? Thanks to my severity, his behaviour is so exemplary". With an inappropriate behaviour, do we think we got a good result? Then, no guilt.
Dehumanization.
"They are animals and should be treated as such!". The victim is not human, so there is no guilt if we treat them as an animal (obviously it is not clear why treating an animal badly is not serious).
Attribution of blame.
"He started it! I just reacted." We cannot feel guilty if our behaviour is nothing more than a simple "uncontrollable" reaction to a provocation.
Have you ever justified your inappropriate behaviour? If so, did you recognize one of Bandura’s mechanisms?
If you want me to describe in my own words a topic of psychology, please request it in the comment section.
Cited sources: Bandura et al. (1996). Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency.
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