Ethical Dilemmas and Family History: A Psychological Approach

Abstract

Family historians frequently encounter ethical issues in the course of their research, and many come to recognise the moral dilemmas facing them. Common dilemmas revolve around topics such as whether family secrets should be revealed or favourite stories debunked in light of the evidence, how the privacy of living relatives can be maintained when family histories are published, if the ‘sins of the fathers’ require reparation (and how this might be possible), and to what extent is it acceptable to romanticise or ‘whitewash’ one’s ancestral story. In this paper, dilemmas such as these are discussed using the theoretical framework of psychologist Jonathan Haidt whose model of five moral ‘instincts’ includes care, fairness, loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity. It is concluded that examining ethical issues using such a framework has the potential to stimulate empathy, reduce impulsive action, and increase the likelihood of finding creative solutions to moral dilemmas.

Genealogical Ethics in the United States and the Popularization of Genealogical Research in the Digital Age

“…The loss of meaningful family relationships, with the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, symbolic, or financial supports those sometimes provide, may become critically damaging. This may lead to feelings of "anger, abandonment, confusion, guilt, sadness, or loss of trust" (Moore 2023a(Moore , 2023b). Among the living, the public presentation of knowingly false information may lead to accusations of slander, libel, or defamation, while the presentation of other sorts of sensitive information may lead to charges of violation of privacy, including violations involving access to personal information, violations of personal autonomy, and violations of the right of publicity (Cornell Law School 2024).…”

“…Work of this sort has been achieved eloquently when considering human remains but less well communicated in other ways (National Park Service 2024), where cases of information presented or communicated insensitively may have harmful psychological or emotional effects for the living while also harming the reputation of past individuals. Psychologist Susan Moore has proposed that one possible way of alleviating some such concerns would be to utilize Jonathan Haidt's model of "five moral 'instincts'" that include "care, fairness, loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity" in the process of researching and the presenting findings (Moore 2023a). This approach, in Moore's view, might "stimulate empathy, reduce impulsive action, and increase the likelihood of finding creative solutions to moral dilemmas" (Moore 2023a).…”

“…Psychologist Susan Moore has proposed that one possible way of alleviating some such concerns would be to utilize Jonathan Haidt's model of "five moral 'instincts'" that include "care, fairness, loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity" in the process of researching and the presenting findings (Moore 2023a). This approach, in Moore's view, might "stimulate empathy, reduce impulsive action, and increase the likelihood of finding creative solutions to moral dilemmas" (Moore 2023a).…”