Exploring the Impact of Moral Intuitions on the Decision to Offend: A Moral Foundations Approach

• In Event: Biopsychosocial Applications of Criminological Theory

Abstract

Recent research has called for the introduction of an overarching framework of morality and crime, in which morals are decoupled from crime-specific attitudes. Previous work on morality and decision-making has shown that moral endorsements do generally decrease the likelihood of condoning deviance. The current study expands on this work by borrowing from the psychological theory of Moral Foundations to understand how our commitments to moral domains impact the types of decisions we make when faced with the opportunity to choose deviance. Preliminary findings from this study indicate that differing levels of moral endorsements do correlate with both inhibiting and encouraging motivation for specific types of deviant behaviors in a series of decision-making vignettes.

Author

• Lisa Thompson Lee, Kennesaw State University