ERIC Number: EJ1059597
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jan
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-930X
EISSN: N/A
The Nature of the Association between Moral Neutralization and Aggression: A Systematic Test of Causality in Early Adolescence
Ribeaud, Denis; Eisner, Manuel
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, v61 n1 Article 5 p68-84 Jan 2015
This article examines possible causal linkages between moral neutralization--a generic term for the related concepts of neutralization techniques, moral disengagement, and self-serving cognitive distortions--and aggressive behavior by using a set of repeated measures in a culturally diverse urban sample at ages 11.4 and 13.7 (N = 1,032). First, correlational analyses show a strong cross-sectional association between moral neutralization and aggression. Second, fixed-effects regressions indicate substantial within-individual association implying that the cross-sectional association cannot be explained away by population heterogeneity. The within-individual association also remains stable when controlling for a number of potential confounds, which supports the notion of a direct causal relationship. Third, results of path analyses revealed near-zero "lagged effects" of moral neutralization on aggression when controlling for antecedent aggression and vice versa, thus suggesting no "longer-term independent" causal effects in either direction. Moreover, "synchronous effects" of moral neutralization on aggression when controlling for antecedent aggression and vice versa are same-sized and significant. Overall, results suggest a close "short-term" interdependence of both constructs.
Descriptors: Moral Values, Correlation, Attribution Theory, Aggression, Behavior Problems, Self Control, Path Analysis, Urban Areas, Regression (Statistics), Case Studies, Early Adolescents, Foreign Countries, Longitudinal Studies, Measurement Techniques
Wayne State University Press. The Leonard N. Simons Building, 4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309. Tel: 800-978-7323; Fax: 313-577-6131; Web site: http://wsupress.wayne.edu/journals/merrill/merrillj.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A