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Up the Moral Bracket: The Effect of Moral Disengagement, Context and Status on Judgement of Transgressions in Team Sports.

Johnson, Dan Philip LU (2018) PSYP01 20181
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Sports seem to present a context of “Bracketed Morality” in which normal moral rules do not apply. Athletes utilise “Moral Disengagement” (MD) to temporarily suspend their morality in order to engage in otherwise unacceptable behaviour. Most research in this field focuses on moral judgements of the self, disregarding judgements made of other actors. The present study examined 117 athletes from 13 different team sports to determine whether factors of context, player status, group orientation and propensity for MD affect the judgement of team mates’ moral transgressions. MD was related to more lenient judgements of moral transgressions. Unprovoked physical aggression and socially manipulative behaviours were considered more immoral in a... (More)
Sports seem to present a context of “Bracketed Morality” in which normal moral rules do not apply. Athletes utilise “Moral Disengagement” (MD) to temporarily suspend their morality in order to engage in otherwise unacceptable behaviour. Most research in this field focuses on moral judgements of the self, disregarding judgements made of other actors. The present study examined 117 athletes from 13 different team sports to determine whether factors of context, player status, group orientation and propensity for MD affect the judgement of team mates’ moral transgressions. MD was related to more lenient judgements of moral transgressions. Unprovoked physical aggression and socially manipulative behaviours were considered more immoral in a non-sporting context, whereas recreational drug use was considered more acceptable than use of sporting performance enhancing drugs. Specific effects were found for player status and group orientation on certain moral transgressions. The study adds the novel perspective of considering the effect of MD and related factors on moral judgements of others, as opposed to the self. Implications for sporting practice and organisational structures are discussed (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Johnson, Dan Philip LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20181
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Sports Psychology, Moral Disengagement, Bracketed Morality, Doping, Group Orientation, Social Status, Character Building, Team Sports
language
English
id
8956617
date added to LUP
2018-08-29 09:26:23
date last changed
2018-08-29 09:26:23
@misc{8956617,
  abstract     = {{Sports seem to present a context of “Bracketed Morality” in which normal moral rules do not apply. Athletes utilise “Moral Disengagement” (MD) to temporarily suspend their morality in order to engage in otherwise unacceptable behaviour. Most research in this field focuses on moral judgements of the self, disregarding judgements made of other actors. The present study examined 117 athletes from 13 different team sports to determine whether factors of context, player status, group orientation and propensity for MD affect the judgement of team mates’ moral transgressions. MD was related to more lenient judgements of moral transgressions. Unprovoked physical aggression and socially manipulative behaviours were considered more immoral in a non-sporting context, whereas recreational drug use was considered more acceptable than use of sporting performance enhancing drugs. Specific effects were found for player status and group orientation on certain moral transgressions. The study adds the novel perspective of considering the effect of MD and related factors on moral judgements of others, as opposed to the self. Implications for sporting practice and organisational structures are discussed}},
  author       = {{Johnson, Dan Philip}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Up the Moral Bracket: The Effect of Moral Disengagement, Context and Status on Judgement of Transgressions in Team Sports.}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}