ABSTRACT

Following Blasi’s self-model of moral functioning, this exploratory study aims to gain insight into the construction of moral identity among military professionals experiencing daily moral dilemmas during deployment. Semi-structured interviews with 45 servicemen were content-coded and analyzed, exploring relationships between moral identity and verbalized moral disengagement. The results revealed three patterns, giving direction for further research. First, the analyses suggest that a higher moral awareness is associated with more justifications for one’s own behavior. Second, leaders showed more inclination toward conscious moral identity than their subordinates. Third, the number of moral dilemmas experienced during deployment were similar for servicemen of all ranks. Moreover, critical self-reflection and self-assessment were relatively underreported across all ranks.

摘要

遵循布拉西的道德运作自我模型，这项探索性研究旨在深入了解在部署期间每天遇到道德困境的军事专业人员中道德认同的建构。对45名军人的半结构化访谈进行了内容编码和分析，探讨了道德认同与言语道德脱离之间的关系。结果揭示了三种模式，为进一步研究指明了方向。首先，分析表明，更高的道德意识与对自己行为的更多辩护相关。其次，领导者比下属更倾向于有意识的道德认同。第三，在部署过程中遇到的道德困境的数量对于各个级别的军人都是相似的。此外，各个阶层的批评性自我反思和自我评估都被相对低估。