Exploring the Moral Factor: The Influence of Locus of Control and Moral Disengagement on Moral Judgement

The concept of has always intrigued academicians, philosophers and laymen alike probably because the sense of moral agency is crucial to our subjective understanding of we are. The research on morality has undergone several shifts in their focus on construal of morality; long been dominated by the cognitive paradigm initiated by Piaget (1965) and extended by Kohlberg (1969) the central tenet being that moral behaviour of a person depends upon the sophistication of his / her moral reasoning. However, this influential theoretical approach failed to explain widespread phenomenon of disparity between moral cognition and moral action. Subsequently, there was an increase in the interest to understand morality from the perspective of its embedded-ness within the social context or self. Thus, theories on morality and its relationship with gender, identity and social processes started evolving (Blasi, 1984; Brewer, 2007).Moral judgements arejudgements of certain choices, or potential choices, where the one who chooses is aware that there is a choice, and has the capacity to choose. Psychological investigations into people's moral judgements have commonly employed moral dilemmas where the subjects' responses is either consistent with deontological concerns (i.e., adhering to rights & duties) or with consequensialist concerns (i.e., maximizing good outcomes). These dilemmas can be personal or impersonal.Locus of control is a component of social cognition and refers to the degree to which a person feels he or she is in control of his or her surroundings. External locus of control refers to an individual's tendency to believe that their reinforcements are under the control of powerful others, luck, or fate (Rotter, 1966). Internal locus of control is the perception that one's own behavior influences outcomes (Osterman et al., 1997). Throughout psychological literature, internal locus of control has been conceived as an adaptive aspect of personality that moderates an individual's response to stress, coping behaviour and overall adjustment (Cohen & Edwards, 1989). The dominant type of locus of control present in a person's life often determines his or her reactions and behaviour and can also be used to explain the perceptions andmotivation ofaperson's actions.Aims and objectives of the studyThe present study aims to find out whether and how certain psychological processes or predictors (that is, locus of control & moral disengagement) influence moraljudgement. For the present study, two outcome variables were conceived* Moraljudgement when is perpetrator of immoral acts and* Moraljudgment when is victim of immoral acts.It is noteworthy that the in-group and out-group dichotomy has been conceived on the basis of 'religion' since religion is an important aspect of 'social identity', more so in the Indian context; and this religious dichotomy has been an important antecedent of ethnic prejudice. For the purpose of the present study, the persons adhering to the religion of Islam has been considered to be the outgroup and persons adhering to the religion of Hinduism has been considered to be the in-group. Also, by the term religion, the researchers have tried to convey the socio-cultural context of the religion and not strict adherence to religious principles or doctrines and practice of ritualistic behaviour. Such a conceptualization draws on Social Identity Theory by Tajfel and Turner (1979). Thus group characteristics suchas structures, roles, and norms are internalized as part of an individual's socio-cognitive system (Turner et al., 1987) and this acts as an interface between an individual's personal identity and social identity (subjective experience of social group); the interplay of both encompassing the individual's religious identity (psychological experience ofthat group by an individual).MethodParticipantsIn the following study, 160 Hindu young adults (80 males & 80 females) participated, who were graduates, belonging to the middle socio-economic status (assessed in terms of per capita income) belonging to the age range of 21-25 years . …