Moral outrage alleviates guilt and buffers threats to one’s moral identity

[benjipwns]

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11031-017-9601-2

Why do people express moral outrage? While this sentiment often stems from a perceived violation of some moral principle, we test the counter-intuitive possibility that moral outrage at third-party transgressions is sometimes a means of reducing guilt over one’s own moral failings and restoring a moral identity. We tested this guilt-driven account of outrage in five studies examining outrage at corporate labor exploitation and environmental destruction. Study 1 showed that personal guilt uniquely predicted moral outrage at corporate harm-doing and support for retributive punishment. Ingroup (vs. outgroup) wrongdoing elicited outrage at corporations through increased guilt, while the opportunity to express outrage reduced guilt (Study 2) and restored perceived personal morality (Study 3). Study 4 tested whether effects were due merely to downward social comparison and Study 5 showed that guilt-driven outrage was attenuated by an affirmation of moral identity in an unrelated context.

Feelings of guilt are a direct threat to one's sense that they are a moral person and, accordingly, research on guilt finds that this emotion elicits strategies aimed at alleviating guilt that do not always involve undoing one's actions. Furthermore, research shows that individuals respond to reminders of their group's moral culpability with feelings of outrage at third-party harm-doing. These findings suggest that feelings of moral outrage, long thought to be grounded solely in concerns with maintaining justice, may sometimes reflect efforts to maintain a moral identity.

Triggering feelings of personal culpability for a problem increases moral outrage at a third-party target. For instance, respondents who read that Americans are the biggest consumer drivers of climate change "reported significantly higher levels of outrage at the environmental destruction" caused by "multinational oil corporations" than did the respondents who read that Chinese consumers were most to blame.

The more guilt over one's own potential complicity, the more desire "to punish a third-party through increased moral outrage at that target." For instance, participants in study one read about sweatshop labor exploitation, rated their own identification with common consumer practices that allegedly contribute, then rated their level of anger at "international corporations" who perpetuate the exploitative system and desire to punish these entities. The results showed that increased guilt "predicted increased punitiveness toward a third-party harm-doer due to increased moral outrage at the target."

Having the opportunity to express outrage at a third-party decreased guilt in people threatened through "ingroup immorality." Study participants who read that Americans were the biggest drivers of man-made climate change showed significantly higher guilt scores than those who read the blame-China article when they weren't given an opportunity to express anger at or assign blame to a third-party. However, having this opportunity to rage against hypothetical corporations led respondents who read the blame-America story to express significantly lower levels of guilt than the China group. Respondents who read that Chinese consumers were to blame had similar guilt levels regardless of whether they had the opportunity to express moral outrage.

"The opportunity to express moral outrage at corporate harm-doers" inflated participants perception of personal morality. Asked to rate their own moral character after reading the article blaming Americans for climate change, respondents saw themselves as having "significantly lower personal moral character" than those who read the blame-China article—that is, when they weren't given an out in the form of third-party blame. Respondents in the America-shaming group wound up with similar levels of moral pride as the China control group when they were first asked to rate the level of blame deserved by various corporate actors and their personal level of anger at these groups. In both this and a similar study using the labor-exploitation article, "the opportunity to express moral outrage at corporate harm-doing (vs. not) led to significantly higher personal moral character ratings," the authors found.

Guilt-induced moral outrage was lessened when people could assert their goodness through alternative means, "even in an unrelated context." Study five used the labor exploitation article, asked all participants questions to assess their level of "collective guilt" (i.e., "feelings of guilt for the harm caused by one's own group") about the situation, then gave them an article about horrific conditions at Apple product factories. After that, a control group was given a neutral exercise, while others were asked to briefly describe what made them a good and decent person; both exercises were followed by an assessment of empathy and moral outrage. The researchers found that for those with high collective-guilt levels, having the chance to assert their moral goodness first led to less moral outrage at corporations. But when the high-collective-guilt folks were given the neutral exercise and couldn't assert they were good people, they wound up with more moral outrage at third parties. Meanwhile, for those low in collective guilt, affirming their own moral goodness first led to marginally more moral outrage at corporations.

THESE FUCKING LIBERAL ARTS RESEARCHERS, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THEM, WHO'S WITH ME?!?!? COME ON!

[Kara]

What moral failing are you ameliorating with your moral outrage at the state, benji?

[etiolate]

You could do this study or you could have just watched the Oscars.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

so i get why you'd do the study

[close]

[zomgee]

like id trust a study from jerry springer

[Huff]

Fuck you

[Phoenix Dark]

This is the thread I'll reveal that I recently stole a meal from Popeyes

[Syph]

tl;dr: virtue signalling et al

This is the thread I'll reveal that I recently stole a meal from Popeyes

what meal was it is the real question

[Phoenix Dark]

Bro it was the new shrimp/tenders combo. I ordered that with cajun fries, a biscuit, and red beans n rice. The order took a very long time, and ten minutes later a cook walked to the front and asked what I ordered. So I told her...she boxed it and gave it to me. I got a tray, sat down to eat...and realized she didn't give me my biscuit or red beans n rice. So I went to the front again, waited like 5 minutes...and another lady presented me with another shrimp/tender combo plus my biscuit and red beans n rice. I tried to tell the lady she made a mistake but she was acting very agitated and started helping another customer. So....I took the second combo and sat down. I ate the first meal, and was feeling so guilty about being given a second meal that I left the restaurant.   

Ended up eating it for dinner later that night.

[Madrun Badrun]

When I feel down and need to feel good about myself, I just remember that I'm better than that well known thief PD.

[benjipwns]

Bro it was the new shrimp/tenders combo. I ordered that with cajun fries, a biscuit, and red beans n rice. The order took a very long time, and ten minutes later a cook walked to the front and asked what I ordered. So I told her...she boxed it and gave it to me. I got a tray, sat down to eat...and realized she didn't give me my biscuit or red beans n rice. So I went to the front again, waited like 5 minutes...and another lady presented me with another shrimp/tender combo plus my biscuit and red beans n rice. I tried to tell the lady she made a mistake but she was acting very agitated and started helping another customer. So....I took the second combo and sat down. I ate the first meal, and was feeling so guilty about being given a second meal that I left the restaurant.   

Ended up eating it for dinner later that night.

#notallblacks

[benjipwns]

#notallblacks

sean marks on notice

[recursivelyenumerable]

ah so it can't possibly apply to one such as myself who never feels guilty and is totally secure in xir moral identity.