Moral disengagement and associated processes in performance-enhancing drug use: a national qualitative investigation

Abstract

This study investigated psychosocial processes associated with avoidance of health- and morality-based deterrents to performance-enhancing drug (PED) use. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 64 English male bodybuilders with experience of doping. Resultant data were content analysed deductively using definitions for the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement (MD; Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In W. M. Kurtines & J. L. Gewirtz (Eds.), Handbook of moral behavior and development: Theory research and applications (pp. 71-129). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.), and three further themes from Boardley and Grix (2013. Doping in bodybuilders: A qualitative investigation of facilitative psychosocial processes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health. Advance online publication, doi 10.1080/2159676X.2013.766809). These analyses evidenced six MD mechanisms, and all three of the themes from Boardley and Grix (2013. Doping in bodybuilders: A qualitative investigation of facilitative psychosocial processes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health. Advance online publication). Subsequent frequency analyses revealed six of the eight MD mechanisms, and two of the three additional themes, were common across the sample. Overall, the findings suggest MD may help athletes circumvent health- and morality-based deterrents to doping, describe a process linking supplement and PED use and detail how some athletes may actively avoid social censure for doping by only discussing PED use with other PED users from within their training environment.

Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior in Sport: The Role of Motivational Climate, Basic Psychological Needs, and Moral Disengagement

“…Moreover, moral disengagement partially mediated the relation between both controlling coach and teammate climates and antisocial behavior towards both teammates and opponents (study 2; supporting hypothesis H2i). These moral disengagement findings reflected evidence from a number of studies that have substantiated the relation between moral disengagement and antisocial behaviors in sport Boardley et al, 2014;Corrion et al, 2009;Kavussanu et al, 2013;Stanger et al, 2013). Athletes who perceive their coach and/or teammates as being high on controlling behaviors may have higher levels of moral disengagement because they will have increased exposure to coaching/teammate behaviors that promote compliance with authority (e.g., coercion, obedience, conditional regard), rather than an internalization and subsequent self-regulation of moral values.…”

“…These eight mechanisms are explained by Bandura (2002), and Boardley and Kavussanu (2011) have offered sport examples for each mechanism. Moral disengagement has been associated with antisocial behaviors in sport (e.g., Boardley et al, 2014;Corrion et al, 2009;Hodge et al, 2013;Stanger, Kavussanu, Boardley, & Ring, 2013), and inversely linked to prosocial behavior in team sports ).…”

“…Moral disengagement is the selective use of psychosocial manoeuvres that allow an individual to transgress moral standards without experiencing negative affect (e.g., guilt, shame), thereby decreasing constraint on future antisocial behavior (Bandura, 2006). The concept of moral disengagement has recently been examined with respect to antisocial and prosocial behaviors in sport (e.g., Boardley & Kavussanu, 2008Boardley, Grix & Dewar, 2014;Corrion, Long, Smith, & d'Arripe-Longueville, 2009). …”

An exploratory study of image and performance enhancement drug use in a male British South Asian community

“…Similar to Howat (2005, 2007), social connectivity and shared norms for IPED use, fitness training and nutrition, with dealers acting as supply mechanism and mentor for novice users were described. Given the reporting of mutual gym injecting and sharing of vials, users entrenched in peer support networks but avoiding social sanctions and stigma from others, may create risk for potential harms (Boardley, Grix, & Dewar, 2014). Perceptions of low health risk support the emergent need for the targeting of specific harm reduction education, outreach and development of culturally appropriate services (Fernandez, 2002;Shams Uddin, Bhugra, & Johnson, 2008;Whitfield et al, 2014).…”

Self-Regulatory Mechanisms of Doping Intentions in Elite Athletes: The Role of Self-Determined Motivation in Sport

“…More recently, Bandura's [8] six mechanisms of moral disengagement have been applied to the sports doping context [13]. The positive relations between moral disengagement mechanisms and doping intentions have been consistently reported in both correlational research [13][14][15][16][17] and qualitative investigations [18].…”