Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity
Marital infidelity is both socially perceived as immoral and very frequent. This contradiction might be explained through the process of moral disengagement, specifically by the use of certain socially shared moral justifications of infidelity, which consequently foster unfaithful behavior. This re...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Studia Psychologica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/studiapsychologica/article/view/445 |
| _version_ | 1811332341760524288 |
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| author | Carmen Gabriela Lișman Andrei Corneliu Holman |
| author_facet | Carmen Gabriela Lișman Andrei Corneliu Holman |
| author_sort | Carmen Gabriela Lișman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Marital infidelity is both socially perceived as immoral and very frequent. This contradiction might be explained through the process of moral disengagement, specifically by the use of certain socially shared moral justifications of infidelity, which consequently foster unfaithful behavior. This research developed and examined the Infidelity Moral Disengagement Scale (IMDS), aiming to capture the strategies of morally legitimizing infidelity used among people engaged in marital relationships. Across two studies (total N = 609 married participants) we investigated the dimensions and psychometric properties of the IMDS. Results showed that the dominant strategies of legitimizing marital infidelity are the diffusion of responsibility, the attribution of blame on the cheated partner, advantageous comparisons with other immoral acts, justifying infidelity through certain benefits, and minimizing its negative consequences. The IMDS emerged as negatively related to moral identity and strongly associated to people’s past infidelity and to their tendency to engage in unfaithful behaviors.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:35:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26c159bb44814cc59edc9a2286efd856 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0039-3320 2585-8815 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:35:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studia Psychologica |
| spelling | doaj.art-26c159bb44814cc59edc9a2286efd8562022-12-22T02:39:28ZengSlovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Social and Psychological SciencesStudia Psychologica0039-33202585-88152022-06-0164210.31577/sp.2022.02.849Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity Carmen Gabriela Lișman0Andrei Corneliu Holman1Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of IaşiAlexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi Marital infidelity is both socially perceived as immoral and very frequent. This contradiction might be explained through the process of moral disengagement, specifically by the use of certain socially shared moral justifications of infidelity, which consequently foster unfaithful behavior. This research developed and examined the Infidelity Moral Disengagement Scale (IMDS), aiming to capture the strategies of morally legitimizing infidelity used among people engaged in marital relationships. Across two studies (total N = 609 married participants) we investigated the dimensions and psychometric properties of the IMDS. Results showed that the dominant strategies of legitimizing marital infidelity are the diffusion of responsibility, the attribution of blame on the cheated partner, advantageous comparisons with other immoral acts, justifying infidelity through certain benefits, and minimizing its negative consequences. The IMDS emerged as negatively related to moral identity and strongly associated to people’s past infidelity and to their tendency to engage in unfaithful behaviors. https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/studiapsychologica/article/view/445marital infidelityunfaithful behaviorsmoral disengagementscale development |
| spellingShingle | Carmen Gabriela Lișman Andrei Corneliu Holman Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity Studia Psychologica marital infidelity unfaithful behaviors moral disengagement scale development |
| title | Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity |
| title_full | Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity |
| title_fullStr | Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity |
| title_short | Innocent Cheaters: A New Scale Measuring the Moral Disengagement of Marital Infidelity |
| title_sort | innocent cheaters a new scale measuring the moral disengagement of marital infidelity |
| topic | marital infidelity unfaithful behaviors moral disengagement scale development |
| url | https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/studiapsychologica/article/view/445 |
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