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The Components of Moral Reasoning

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By Luke Dalfiume, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Co-Owner, John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates

Jonathan Haidt has recently written a book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion, in which he explores the components of moral reasoning. He puts this in the context of reasoning about political issues, but it can apply to any form of moral reasoning.

Haidt says our intuitive (instinctual) responses to situations come first, and our reasoning follows, attempting to come up with rational explanations for our intuitive responses. Haidt says, “The main way that we change our minds on moral issues is by interacting with other people. We are terrible at seeking evidence that challenges our own beliefs, but other people do us this favor” (challenge our beliefs; p. 79).

He says that, in the world of politics, people rarely vote based on self-interest, but rather in the interest of their particular group, which may be racial, regional, religious, or political.  Also, those who tend to be more liberal are most concerned about care and fairness.  Those who are more conservative are not unconcerned about care and fairness (though they are to a lesser degree than liberals are), but they also factor in loyalty, authority, and sanctity in their reasoning.  If you would like to know where you fall on the continuum, go to the website: www.yourmorals.org. After you register, you will be taken to the measures. Go to the first measure in the second group, called the Moral Foundations Questionnaire.  When you are finished, you will be presented with your scores, the average liberal scores, and the average conservative scores.

Haidt says in groups something he calls the “hive switch” operates. The hive switch refers to collective emotions and behaviors, where our individual selves disappear and we operate for the good of the whole. Though this can sometimes operate in ugly ways, Haidt suggests that this, at its best, helps us to operate on a more sacred (not self-centered, but collective) level. To help groups become more concerned about the whole, Haidt suggests we need to focus on similarities and shared goals. He says even moving in synchrony, as soldiers in drill, helps to build a greater sense of the whole (moving the focus away from the individual). Religions, he says help groups to become more cohesive and cooperative. In fact, researchers have found that those who are part of religious groups tend to engage in more positive social behaviors overall.

In our current political climate, we tend to be part of hives in rather ugly ways, feeling righteous in our corners of the world and wondering how others can be moral and have such different values. Haidt’s research has helped me to understand that it is not a matter of twisted reasoning, or a lack of reasoning, but a matter of prioritizing some different things when making moral decisions that differentiates people. This is true in politics, but in our daily lives together as well.

For more information, contact John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates, located at 3716 West Brighton Avenue, Peoria or at their locations in Normal, Canton, Pekin, Princeton, or Eureka. Call us at 309-692-7755 or visit us online: christianpsychological.org.

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