Exploring a Moral Continuum: Examining Explanatory Mechanisms Underlying Moral Disengagement Across Characters of Different Moral Complexities

• In Event: Media and Morality

Abstract

The present study examines narrative exposure, identification and moral judgment as indicators of the degree to which individuals may morally disengage during mediated entertainment experiences. Additionally, this study attempts to further expand disposition theory and theorizing on the role of moral disengagement by moving beyond conceptualizations of good, bad, and morally ambiguous characters to explore more subtle moral distinctions between characters as they exist within the same narrative. Using Harry Potter as the context, this research investigates moral evaluations as they exist along a continuum. Results suggest that identification and moral judgment serve as important mediators predicting moral disengagement, however these relationships are moderated by the perception of the character’s moral fortitude.

Authors

• Meghan Shara Sanders, Louisiana State U

• Mina Tsay-Vogel, Boston U