Measuring Morality: Exploring Conceptualizations of Morality and Consequences for Crime

• In Event: Testing Theories of Crime in Cross-National Contexts

Abstract

Morality is reemerging as a central concept in recent scholarship on criminal behavior. However, several competing conceptualizations of morality make it difficult to measure morality consistently or to interpret results across studies. In this study, we describe several conceptualizations of morality, including those depicting morality as a consequence cue, as a filter, as an emotional constraint, as a stage or form of normative internalization, and as empathy or social conscience. In addition, we report attempts to construct valid, unique measures of each conceptualization of morality using survey data collected from a probability sample of 600 respondents living in urban and rural regions of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Finally, we report results from regression analyses exploring linkages between measures of morality and engagement in criminal behaviors and conclude by describing implications for theories of morality and crime.

Authors

• Jonathan Brauer, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Charles Tittle, North Carolina State University

• Zakiul Islam, Bangladesh University