If we do something bad, we typically feel
guilty about it. Moral disengagement allows us to misbehave, and continue
to feel good about ourselves, convinced that our own moral
standards don't apply to us. This psychological phenomenon comes in 8
forms. To learn about them, meet Sarah, a 16-year-old who was bullied in school.
When the teacher confronts those responsible, they each use one type of moral
disengagement to explain themselves. Martin is the first to respond. He says:
"I was just trying to toughen her up. The world's a harsh place, and if she can't take a
little teasing, how is she going to survive?" He uses moral justification to frame his
behavior as a sort of public service. Eric says: "We were just joking around with her.
It's not a big deal.” Calling bullying "joking around," makes it sound more benign than it is,
which is why that’s called euphemistic labeling. Anna says: "Other kids out there
are stealing! We were just having fun.” By contrasting her behavior
with things she considers worse, she makes her own actions appear fine.
Anna employs advantageous comparison. Debora is next: “It's not my fault, the others
made me do it!” she says. She plays the victim, claiming that she was just following orders.
This is called displacement of responsibility. Daniel is outraged. “Why am I being singled out?
I’m not the only one! Everyone was doing it!” By pointing to the others involved, he’s minimizing
his role and thereby diffusing responsibility. Samuel does not see a problem. “She
is exaggerating, it’s not like we are monsters who eat people alive.”
Samuel tries to reduce his guilt, by downplaying Sarah’s feelings
and disregarding consequences. Hector turns to dehumanization when he
says: “She’s a weirdo, and belongs in a zoo!” He implies that Sarah is an animal,
and hence less worthy of respect and empathy. Antony laughs. “If she didn’t want to
be made fun of she should not act so strange. It’s her fault. Do you see what she
wears to school?” Antony is accusing Sarah, portraying his actions only as reactive
— that’s called attribution of blame. The teacher realizes what's going on,
he tells each one personally that he does not tolerate such behavior in his
class, suspends the 8 bullies for a week, and gives them homework for them to
reflect on their lame justifications. The next week in class, he presents
the 8 principles and explains how moral disengagement can lead to an increase
in violence and a reduction in empathy. The theory was developed by Albert Bandura,
a psychologist best known for his work on the social learning theory. On
moral disengagement, he wrote: "Most people have standards against
which they evaluate the morality of their actions. However, such self-sanctions
do not operate unless they are activated.” What about you? Have you ever used
moral disengagement to justify bad behavior? And do you think kids at schools would benefit from learning about it? Share
your thoughts in the comments below. If you like this video and want us to make more,
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