ABSTRACT

Research Question: The lens of moral disengagement (i.e. the cognitive restructuring of immoral behaviors to facilitate one’s own involvement by deactivating negative feelings) has been applied extensively to study integrity breaches in a number of contexts. However, despite the high and diverse prevalence of immoral behavior in (elite) sport, and the increasing research attention toward sport integrity, the explanatory potential of moral disengagement has not yet been fully exploited to better understand integrity breaches in the context of managing (elite) sport systems. As such, this study has two aims: (1) to demonstrate the utility of Bandura’s eight mechanisms of moral disengagement to explain integrity breaches in (elite) sport and (2) to conceptualize the four functions of integrity management as potential strategies to help sport managers remain morally engaged.

Research Methods: Drawing on Albert Bandura’s seminal social cognitive theory of moral thought and action, this conceptual study develops an interdisciplinary understanding of moral disengagement from (sport) psychology, (sport) management, and (sport) ethics and integrity.

Results and Findings: Our findings highlight how sport managers use a broad number of strategies to switch their morals off when engaging in immoral behavior. At the same time, integrity management tools and strategies can be implemented to maintain managers’ moral engagement.

Implications: Discussing the use of moral disengagement in (elite) sport, this study is relevant to sport management scholars and practitioners who want to identify and mitigate the underlying cognitive mechanisms for integrity breaches in (elite) sport systems.

摘要

研究问题：道德脱离的镜头（即不道德行为的认知重构，以通过消除消极情绪来促进自己的参与）已被广泛应用于研究许多背景下的完整性破坏。然而，尽管（精英）体育运动中不道德行为的流行率很高且多种多样，并且对体育诚信的研究越来越多，但道德脱离的解释潜力尚未被充分利用以更好地理解管理（精英）背景下的诚信违规行为。 ) 运动系统。因此，本研究有两个目的：

研究方法：借鉴阿尔伯特班杜拉关于道德思想和行动的开创性社会认知理论，这项概念研究从（运动）心理学、（运动）管理和（运动）伦理和诚信发展了对道德脱离的跨学科理解。

结果和发现：我们的发现强调了体育管理者在从事不道德行为时如何使用多种策略来改变他们的道德。同时，可以实施诚信管理工具和策略来保持管理者的道德参与。

启示：本研究讨论了道德脱离在（精英）体育中的使用，与体育管理​​学者和从业者有关，他们希望识别和减轻（精英）体育系统中完整性破坏的潜在认知机制。