John
D. Gavazzi, Psy.D., ABPP
Samuel
Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
In the research
literature on psychology and morality, the concept of motivated moral reasoning is relevant to psychotherapy. Motivated
moral reasoning occurs when a person’s decision-making skills are motivated to
reach a specific moral conclusion. Research on motivated moral reasoning can be
influenced by factors such as the perception of intentionality of others and
the social nature of moral reasoning (Ditto, Pizarro, & Tannenbaum, 2009). In
this article, we will focus on the intuitive, automatic, and affective nature
of motivated moral reasoning as these types of judgments occur in psychotherapy.
The goal of this article is to help psychologists remain vigilant about the
possibilities of motivated moral reasoning in the psychotherapy relationship.
Individuals typically believe that
moral judgments are primarily principle-based, well-reasoned, and cognitive. Individuals
also trust that moral judgments are made from a top-down approach, meaning moral
agents start with moral ideals or principles first, and then apply those
principles to a specific situation. Individuals typically believe moral decisions
are based on well-reasoned principles, consistent over time and reliable across
situations. Ironically, the research reveals that, unless primed for a specific
moral dilemma (such as serving on jury duty), individuals typically use a
bottom-up strategy in moral reasoning. Research on self-report of moral decisions
shows that individuals seek justifications and ad hoc confirmatory data points to support the person’s reflexive
decision. Furthermore, the reasoning for moral decisions is context-dependent,
meaning that the same moral principles are not applied consistently over time
and across situations. Finally, individuals use automatic, intuitive, and emotional
processes when making important decisions (Ditto, Pizarro, & Tannenbaum,
2009). While the complexity of moral reasoning depends on a number of factors, individuals
tend to make moral judgments first, and answer questions later (and only if
asked).
The entire article is here.
The entire article is here.
