Moral disengagement is an interesting concept that points to a theory proposed by Albert Bandura, this is because many people end up engaging in behaviors that contradict the values they defend, are those who, for example, speak of respect and insult, or speak of peace and attack.
There are many historical phenomena in which this moral separation has become apparent, the most prominent being the Nazi Holocaust.
- To this day.
- We still wonder how an entire nation has agreed to be complicit in a massacre.
- Men and women.
- Though well illustrated and decent.
- Were willing to expose the world to an extreme and devastating situation.
Despite this, moral disengagement is not just a “macro” phenomenon. We also see it often in everyday life: people who are against corruption and bribery, or who defend the rights of the most vulnerable and exploit their employees.
Most impressive of all is not the behavior itself, but the fact that it does not create discomfort for those who incur these contradictions, that is exactly what this theory explains.
“Our science has made us cynical; Our intelligence, hard and without feelings?Charlie Chaplin?
There are several theories that try to describe how human beings acquire the ethical principles and values that govern us, for Albert Bandura it is a process by which we are instilled in these values, through a stimulus of reward and punishment. that’s why.
According to his thesis, there are circumstances that sometimes lead to a more flexible adherence to these rules, it may be by social pressure, or because sometimes there is some convenience, or perhaps because there is an emergency, among other things.
However, the truth is that human beings can act against the rules that have been instilled in him and that he himself has been practicing for a long time.
When a person betrays his moral convictions, it creates a great malaise, a mixture of remorse, guilt, and agitation. In this state, the affected person must resolve this discomfort.
You can do this by correcting or using mechanisms to justify what you’ve done, one of them is moral disengagement, which allows you to reinterpret your behavior so you don’t feel bad.
According to Albert Bandura’s theory, there are eight mechanisms by which moral disengagement of one’s behavior occurs.
In other words, there are eight ways to justify or give a convincing explanation of why we are betraying the values we believe in. The eight mechanisms are:
All these mechanisms are used daily in today’s world. We live in a time of excessive moral relativization. It is not good to adhere to uncompromising principles, but it is also not healthy for society that the limits of everything are so uncertain.