The Nature and Role of Morality in Offending: A Moral Foundations Approach

Abstract

Objectives: Criminologists have long viewed morality as a critical element in offending. However, two factors limit the theoretical impact of prior work. First, no overarching framework for describing the nature and role of morality has been developed. Second, morality has been measured in a narrow manner as the extent to which individuals disapprove of particular acts of offending. To address these limitations, we examine the utility of a moral psychological framework—Moral Foundations Theory (MFT)—that fits remarkably well with the conceptions of morality found in criminological theorizing (i.e., that morality inhibits offending, has intuitive and pluralistic dimensions, and under certain circumstances may motivate offending). Methods: We use negative binomial regression to model self-reported counts of violence, group violence, theft, property damage, marijuana use, and illegal phone use while driving, in a large national sample of Icelandic youths (n = 10,710). Results: We find that individualizing moral intuitions centered on rights and autonomy and binding moral intuitions centered on social order and cohesion are uniquely associated with different types of offending and exhibit inhibiting or motivating effects depending on the outcome. Conclusion: MFT holds considerable promise as a framework for conducting criminological research on the relationship between morality and offending.

Perceptions of Substance Use Disorder and Associated Sanctions: A Factorial Vignette Experiment

“…The relationship was robust across various sensitivity models for both DV. This result builds on recent work exploring moral foundations applied specifically to crime and deviance (Silver, 2017;Silver & Silver, 2021). In particular, Silver (2017) finds that moral foundations of purity is significantly predictive of divine victim-centered punitiveness for behaviors like smoking crack cocaine because it is perceived as violating standards of bodily purity.…”

“…Experimental research finds that MTurk produces reliable survey data which yields externally valid experimental inferences (Berinsky et al, 2012; Snowberg & Yariv, 2021; Thomas & Clifford, 2017). Experimental studies also conclude that findings produced from MTurk samples almost always generalize to representative population-based samples (Coppock, 2019; Mullinix et al, 2015).…”

“…Prior studies have shown that greater endorsement of the moral foundation purity measure is associated with reduced support for harm reduction strategies such as needle exchange programs (Christie et al, 2019). Relatedly, Silver & Silver (2021) argue that endorsement of moral foundations concerning purity should be associated with less support for behaviors (e.g., illegal drug use) that harm or threaten the cohesion, hierarchical structure, or customs of valued ingroups. Following this literature, a measure of moral foundations purity was taken from the 20-item Moral Foundations Questionnaire and included in the survey (Graham et al, 2011).…”

Ransomware and the Robin Hood effect?: Experimental evidence on Americans’ willingness to support cyber-extortion

“…Second, because the act of ransoming is a moral issue, Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) may provide insight into the psychological underpinnings of differential responses to it. According to MFT, people have moral intuitions that structure their views about deviance (Graham et al, 2013;Silver & Silver, 2021). These intuitions (or foundations) include those that center on protecting individuals ("individualizing foundations")-having compassion for others and defending civil liberties-and those that locate moral concerns at the group level ("binding foundations")-sacrificing the self for group order, showing obedience to authority, and maintaining normative behaviors (Haidt & Graham, 2007).…”

The Influence of Moral Intuitions on Americans’ Divergent Reactions to Reports of Sexual Assault and Harassment

“…For decades, research in moral psychology has sought to understand how and why individuals make moral judgments and the effects such judgments have on their perceptions and behavior. Insights from this work are thus highly relevant for studying the relationship between morality and attitudes toward crime- and punishment-related issues (Niemi & Young, 2016; Silver & Silver, 2017, 2021; Vaughn et al, 2019). Because Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) has been used successfully to study the link between individual’s moral judgments and their attitudes toward and involvement in a variety of criminal and deviant behaviors (e.g., Koleva et al, 2012; Silver et al, 2021; Silver & Silver, 2017), we find MFT particularly well-suited to exploring why people differ in their reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment.…”