Moral character and virtue الأخلاق

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمࣲ‏

truly you have a strong character––

وَٱلۡمُطَلَّقَٰتُ يَتَرَبَّصۡنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ ثَلَٰثَةَ قُرُوٓءࣲۚ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُنَّ أَن يَكۡتُمۡنَ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ فِيٓ أَرۡحَامِهِنَّ إِن كُنَّ يُؤۡمِنَّ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِۚ وَبُعُولَتُهُنَّ أَحَقُّ بِرَدِّهِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ إِنۡ أَرَادُوٓاْ إِصۡلَٰحࣰ اۚ وَلَهُنَّ مِثۡلُ ٱلَّذِي عَلَيۡهِنَّ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيۡهِنَّ دَرَجَةࣱۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

Divorced women must wait for three monthly periods before remarrying, and, if they really believe in God and the Last Day, it is not lawful for them to conceal what God has created in their wombs: their husbands would do better to take them back during this period, provided they wish to put things right. Wives have [rights] similar to their [obligations], according to what is recognized to be fair, and husbands have a degree [of right] over them: [both should remember that] God is almighty and wise

وَلۡتَكُن مِّنكُمۡ أُمَّةࣱ يَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡخَيۡرِ وَيَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۚ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ

Be a community that calls for what is good, urges what is right, and forbids what is wrong: those who do this are the successful ones

كُنتُمۡ خَيۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِۗ وَلَوۡ ءَامَنَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيۡرࣰ ا لَّهُمۚ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمُ ٱلۡفَٰسِقُونَ

[Believers], you are the best community singled out for people: you order what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in God. If the People of the Book had also believed, it would have been better for them. For although some of them do believe, most of them are lawbreakers

يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِ وَيَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَيُسَٰرِعُونَ فِي ٱلۡخَيۡرَٰتِۖ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

who believe in God and the Last Day, who order what is right and forbid what is wrong, who are quick to do good deeds. These people are among the righteous

ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِيَّ ٱلۡأُمِّيَّ ٱلَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكۡتُوبًا عِندَهُمۡ فِي ٱلتَّوۡرَىٰةِ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلِ يَأۡمُرُهُم بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَىٰهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡخَبَٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنۡهُمۡ إِصۡرَهُمۡ وَٱلۡأَغۡلَٰلَ ٱلَّتِي كَانَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُواْ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ

who follow the Messenger- the unlettered prophet they find described in the Torah that is with them, and in the Gospel- who commands them to do right and forbids them to do wrong, who makes good things lawful to them and bad things unlawful, and relieves them of their burdens, and the iron collars that were on them. So it is those who believe him, honour and help him, and who follow the light which has been sent down with him, who will succeed.’

(And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature) [68:4]. Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Hayyan> Ahmad ibn Ja�far> ibn Nasr al-Jamal> Jarir ibn Yahya> Husayn ibn �Ulwan al-Kufi> Hisham ibn �Urwah> his father> �A�ishah who said: �No one had a better character than the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Never did anyone among his Companions, or household, call him except that he said: �I am at your service!� this is why Allah, glorious and majestic is He, revealed (And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature)�.

And assuredly you possess a magnificent nature a magnificent religion.

Divorced women shall wait by themselves before remarrying for three periods qurū’in is the plural of qar’ of purity or menstruation — these are two different opinions — which begin from the moment of divorce. This stipulation applies to those who have been sexually penetrated but not to those otherwise on account of His saying there shall be no waiting period for you to reckon against them Q. 3349. The waiting period for immature or menopausal women is three months; pregnant women on the other hand must wait until they give birth as stated in the sūrat al-Talāq Q. 654 while slavegirls must wait two months according to the Sunna. And it is not lawful for them to hide what God has created in their wombs of child or menstruation if they believe in God and the Last Day. Their mates their spouses have a better right to restore them to bring them back even if they refuse in such time that is d

And divorced women shall wait (as regards their marriage) for three menstrual periods, and it is not lawful for them to conceal what Allah has created in their wombs, if they believe in Allah and the Last Day. And their husbands have the better right to take them back in that period, if they wish for reconciliation. And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise (228) The 'Iddah (Waiting Period) of the Divorced Woman This Ayah contains a command from Allah that the divorced woman, whose marriage was consummated and who still has menstruation periods, should wait for three (menstrual) periods (Quru') after the divorce and then remarry if she wishes. The Meaning of Al

Let there be a community of you inviting to the good. This is an allusion to peoples who stand up for God in God. They are not taken aback by the blame of any blamer nor cut off from God by relying on any causes. They have seen the shortcomings of their own souls and immersed their lives in gaining God's approval. They act for God, give counsel for God's religion, and call God's creatures to God. Their trade has profited them and they do not regret their handshake. This is the description of a people who stand through the Real's making them stand and who have been freed from their own power and strength and disengaged from their own desires and aims. They are outside the circle of deeds and states, free of the captivity of choice and self- determination. They know God, they call upon God, and they strive in God's religion. They do not think about people or their blame. In their hearts th

(Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind�) [3:110]. �Ikrimah and Muqatil said: �This was revealed about [�Abd Allah] Ibn Mas�ud, Ubayy ibn Ka�b, Mu�adh ibn Jabal and Salim, the client of Abu Hudhayfah. Malik ibn al-Dayf and Wahb ibn Yahudha, both of them Jews, had said to them: �Our religion is better than that to which you call us; and we are also more virtuous and better than you�. And Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse as a response to them�.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا وَخِيَارُكُمْ خِيَارُكُمْ لِنِسَائِهِمْ خُلُقًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏

Abu Hurairah narrated that The Messenger of Allah said:“The most complete of the believers in faith, is the one with the best character among them. And the best of you are those who are best to your women.”

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ خِرَاشٍ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَبَّانُ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُبَارَكُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ رَبِّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّكُمْ إِلَىَّ وَأَقْرَبِكُمْ مِنِّي مَجْلِسًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَحَاسِنَكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا وَإِنَّ أَبْغَضَكُمْ إِلَىَّ وَأَبْعَدَكُمْ مِنِّي مَجْلِسًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الثَّرْثَارُونَ وَالْمُتَشَدِّقُونَ وَالْمُتَفَيْهِقُونَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا الثَّرْثَارُونَ وَالْمُتَشَدِّقُونَ فَمَا الْمُتَفَيْهِقُونَ قَالَ ‏"‏ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏.‏ وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَرَوَى بَعْضُهُمْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الْمُبَارَكِ بْنِ فَضَالَةَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ فِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ رَبِّهِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ ‏.‏ وَالثَّرْثَارُ هُوَ الْكَثِيرُ الْكَلاَمِ وَالْمُتَشَدِّقُ الَّذِي يَتَطَاوَلُ عَلَى النَّاسِ فِي الْكَلاَمِ وَيَبْذُو عَلَيْهِمْ ‏.‏

Jabir narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:"Indeed the most beloved among you to me, and the nearest to sit with me on the Day of Judgment is the best of you in character. And indeed, the most disliked among you to me, and the one sitting furthest from me on the Day of Judgement are the Thartharun, and the Mutashaddiqun and the Muthafaihiqun." They said: "O Messenger of Allah! We know about the Thartharun, and the Mutashaddiqun, but what about the Muthafaihiqun?"' He said:"The arrogant

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ لَمْ يَكُنِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا وَكَانَ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ مِنْ خِيَارِكُمْ أَحْسَنَكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr:The Prophet (ﷺ) never used bad language neither a "Fahish nor a Mutafahish. He used to say "The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character." (See Hadith No. 56 (B) Vol

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو غَسَّانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ كُلُّ مَعْرُوفٍ صَدَقَةٌ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, Enjoining, all that is good is a Sadaqa

حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي شَقِيقٌ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو يُحَدِّثُنَا إِذْ قَالَ لَمْ يَكُنْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا، وَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ خِيَارَكُمْ أَحَاسِنُكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Masruq:We were sitting with `Abdullah bin `Amr who was narrating to us (Hadith): He said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was neither a Fahish nor a Mutafahhish, and he used to say, 'The best among you are the best in character (having good manners)

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ ابْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، حَدَّثَهُ عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، أَخْبَرَتْهُ‏.‏ أَنَّهُ، اسْتَأْذَنَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ ائْذَنُوا لَهُ فَبِئْسَ ابْنُ الْعَشِيرَةِ ‏"‏‏.‏ أَوْ ‏"‏ بِئْسَ أَخُو الْعَشِيرَةِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ أَلاَنَ لَهُ الْكَلاَمَ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قُلْتَ مَا قُلْتَ، ثُمَّ أَلَنْتَ لَهُ فِي الْقَوْلِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَىْ عَائِشَةُ، إِنَّ شَرَّ النَّاسِ مَنْزِلَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ تَرَكَهُ ـ أَوْ وَدَعَهُ ـ النَّاسُ اتِّقَاءَ فُحْشِهِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Aisha:A man asked permission to see the Prophet. He said, "Let Him come in; What an evil man of the tribe he is! (Or, What an evil brother of the tribe he is). But when he entered, the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke to him gently in a polite manner. I said to him, "O Allah's Apostle! You have said what you have said, then you spoke to him in a very gentle and polite manner? The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The worse people, in the sight of Allah are those whom the people leave (undisturbed) to save themselves from their dirty language

ونحن نقول متى باتت مهاجرة لفراش عاشقها الذي هو بعلها لعنتها الملائكة حتى تصبح قالوا والعشق يصفي العقل ويذهب الهم ويبعث على حسن اللباس وطيب المطعم ومكارم الأخلاق ويعلي الهمة ويحمل على طيب الرائحة وكرم العشرة وحفظ الأدب والمروءة وهو بلاء الصالحين ومحنة العابدين وهو ميزان العقول وجلاء الأذهان وهو خلق الكرام كما قيل

ومن قائل قال المروءة سخاوة النفس وحسن الخلق

غالبا بالمخالطة ويسلم منها في الخلوة وهي أربعة الغيبة والنميمة والرياء والسكوت عن الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر ومسارقة الطبع من الأخلاق الرديئة والأعمال الخبيثة التي يوجبها الحرص على الدنيا

وهذه إشارة إلى فائدة أخرى في العزلة وهو بقاء الستر على الدين والمروءة والأخلاق والفقر وسائر العورات

حقيقتها هي منزلة الإحسان إلى الناس وكف الأذى عنهم واحتمال أذاهم فهي استعمال حسن الخلق معهم فهي في الحقيقة نتيجة حسن الخلق واستعماله والفرق بينها وبين المروءة : أن المروءة أعم منها فالفتوة نوع من أنواع المروءة فإن المروءة استعمال ما يجمل ويزين مما هو مختص بالعبد أو متعد إلى غيره وترك ما يدنس ويشين مما هو مختص أيضا به أو متعلق بغيره و الفتوة إنما هي استعمال الأخلاق الكريمة مع الخلق

الأدب الثاني حسن الخلق معهن واحتمال الأذى منهن ترحما عليهن لقصور عقلهن

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Efficacy of cultivating human strengths and virtues on well-being: A one-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach.: Mental health research emphasizes the importance of fostering character strengths to promote well-being. However, whether the strengths supposedly developed by these interventions actually mediate their effects on well-being is still unknown. The included studies were RCTs of strength-based interventions on well-being. Among 83,908 reviewed abstracts, five strengths met the strict inclusion criteria to be meta-analyzed. We included 114 RCTs with a total of 20,853 participants. A One-Stage Meta-A

Feelings of shame, embarrassment and guilt and their neural correlates: A systematic review.: This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive summary of the current literature on the neurobiological underpinnings of the experience of the negative moral emotions: shame, embarrassment and guilt. PsycINFO, PubMed and MEDLINE were used to identify existing studies. Twenty-one functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography studies were reviewed. Although studies differed considerably in methodology, their findings highlight both shared and distin

Gender differences in self-conscious emotional experience: a meta-analysis.: The self-conscious emotions (SCE) of guilt, shame, pride, and embarrassment are moral emotions, which motivate adherence to social norms and personal standards and emerge in early childhood following the development of self-awareness. Gender stereotypes of emotion maintain that women experience more guilt, shame, and embarrassment but that men experience more pride. To estimate the magnitude of gender differences in SCE experience and to determine the circumstances under which these gender diffe

A meta-analytic investigation of the antecedents, theoretical correlates, and consequences of moral disengagement at work.: Moral disengagement refers to a set of cognitive tactics people employ to sidestep moral self-regulatory processes that normally prevent wrongdoing. In this study, we present a comprehensive meta-analytic review of the nomological network of moral disengagement at work. First, we test its dispositional and contextual antecedents, theoretical correlates, and consequences, including ethics (workplace misconduct and organizational citizenship behaviors [OCBs]) and non-ethics outcomes (turnover inte

Cultivating conscience: Moral neurohabilitation of adolescents and young adults with conduct and/or antisocial personality disorders.

Individuals diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD) in childhood and adolescence are at risk for increasingly maladaptive and dangerous behaviors, which unchecked, can lead to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in adulthood. Children with CD, especially those with the callous unemotional subgroup qualifier ("limited prosocial emotions"/DSM-5), present with a more severe pattern of delinquency, aggression, and antisocial behavior, all markings of prodrome ASPD. Given this recognized diagnostic trajectory, with a pathological course playing out tragically at the individual, familial, and societal level, and lack of effective remediation via current standards of care, we posit an alternate treatment approach; case-specific compulsory moral habilitation aimed at rectifying the undeveloped affective domain of adolescents and young adults suffering from these disorders. We begin with a brief …

matched on Morals (mesh), moral development (text)

Prosocial Behavior in Adolescence: Gender Differences in Development and Links with Empathy.

Although adolescents' prosocial behavior is related to various positive outcomes, longitudinal research on its development and predictors is still sparse. This 6-wave longitudinal study investigated the development of prosocial behavior across adolescence, and examined longitudinal associations with perspective taking and empathic concern. Participants were 497 adolescents (M age t1 = 13.03 years, 43% girls) who reported on their prosocial behaviors, empathic concern, and perspective taking. The results revealed marked gender differences in the development of prosocial behavior. For boys, levels of prosocial behavior were stable until age 14, followed by an increase until age 17, and a slight decrease thereafter. For girls, prosocial behavior increased until age 16 years and then slightly decreased. Regarding longitudinal associations, empathic concern was consistently related to subsequ…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

Increased moral condemnation of accidental harm in institutionalized adolescents.

Social deprivation, as faced by children in institutional rearing, involves socio-cognitive deficits that may persist into adolescence. In particular, two relevant domains which prove sensitive to pre-adult neurodevelopment are theory of mind (ToM) and moral judgment (a complex skill which partially depend upon ToM). However, no study has assessed moral evaluation in adolescents with a history of institutional care, let alone its relationship with ToM skills. The present study aims to bridge this gap, focusing on moral evaluation of harmful actions in institutionalized adolescents (IAs). Relative to adolescents raised with their biological families, IAs exhibited less willingness to exculpate protagonists for accidental harms, suggesting an under-reliance on information about a person's (innocent) intentions. Moreover, such abnormalities in IAs were associated with ToM impairments. Taken…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral development (text)

A lesion model of envy and Schadenfreude: legal, deservingness and moral dimensions as revealed by neurodegeneration.

The study of moral emotions (i.e. Schadenfreude and envy) is critical to understand the ecological complexity of everyday interactions between cognitive, affective, and social cognition processes. Most previous studies in this area have used correlational imaging techniques and framed Schadenfreude and envy as unified and monolithic emotional domains. Here, we profit from a relevant neurodegeneration model to disentangle the brain regions engaged in three dimensions of Schadenfreude and envy: deservingness, morality, and legality. We tested a group of patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), patients with Alzheimer's disease, as a contrastive neurodegeneration model, and healthy controls on a novel task highlighting each of these dimensions in scenarios eliciting Schadenfreude and envy. Compared with the Alzheimer's disease and control groups, patients with bvFT…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

Social cuing of guilt by anger and of shame by disgust.

Scholars have proposed a conceptual structure for the self-critical moral emotions of guilt and shame and the other-critical emotions of anger and disgust. In this model, guilt is linked with anger and shame with disgust. This relationship may express itself in asymmetrical social cuing between emotions: In a social context, other people's angry facial expressions may communicate that the target should feel guilty, and other people's disgusted facial expressions may communicate that the target should feel ashamed. We conducted two experiments, one in the United Kingdom and the other in Spain, in which participants were shown pictures of faces expressing either anger or disgust. Participants rated the degree to which the faces would make them feel guilt or shame in a casual social encounter, and they answered questions about inferences concerning the emotional expressions. In both studies…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

Introducing the GASP scale: a new measure of guilt and shame proneness.

Although scholars agree that moral emotions are critical for deterring unethical and antisocial behavior, there is disagreement about how 2 prototypical moral emotions--guilt and shame--should be defined, differentiated, and measured. We addressed these issues by developing a new assessment--the Guilt and Shame Proneness scale (GASP)--that measures individual differences in the propensity to experience guilt and shame across a range of personal transgressions. The GASP contains 2 guilt subscales that assess negative behavior-evaluations and repair action tendencies following private transgressions and 2 shame subscales that assess negative self-evaluations (NSEs) and withdrawal action tendencies following publically exposed transgressions. Both guilt subscales were highly correlated with one another and negatively correlated with unethical decision making. Although both shame subscales w…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

Guilt-specific processing in the prefrontal cortex.

Guilt is a central moral emotion due to its inherent link to norm violations, thereby affecting both individuals and society. Furthermore, the nature and specificity of guilt is still debated in psychology and philosophy, particularly with regard to the differential involvement of self-referential representations in guilt relative to shame. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in healthy volunteers, we identified specific brain regions associated with guilt by comparison with the 2 most closely related emotions, shame and sadness. To induce high emotional intensity, we used an autobiographical memory paradigm where participants relived during fMRI scanning situations from their own past that were associated with strong feelings of guilt, shame, or sadness. Compared with the control emotions, guilt episodes specifically recruited a region of right orbitofrontal cortex,…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

The "shoulds" and "should nots" of moral emotions: a self-regulatory perspective on shame and guilt.

A self-regulatory framework for distinguishing between shame and guilt was tested in three studies. Recently, two forms of moral regulation based on approach versus avoidance motivation have been proposed in the literature. Proscriptive regulation is sensitive to negative outcomes, inhibition based, and focused on what we should not do. Prescriptive regulation is sensitive to positive outcomes, activation based, and focused on what we should do. In the current research, consistent support was found for shame's proscriptive and guilt's prescriptive moral underpinnings. Study 1 found a positive association between avoidance orientation and shame proneness and between approach orientation and guilt proneness. In Study 2, priming a proscriptive orientation increased shame and priming a prescriptive orientation increased guilt. In Study 3, transgressions most apt to represent proscriptive and…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

Culture and stigma: adding moral experience to stigma theory.

Definitions and theoretical models of the stigma construct have gradually progressed from an individualistic focus towards an emphasis on stigma's social aspects. Building on other theorists' notions of stigma as a social, interpretive, or cultural process, this paper introduces the notion of stigma as an essentially moral issue in which stigmatized conditions threaten what is at stake for sufferers. The concept of moral experience, or what is most at stake for actors in a local social world, provides a new interpretive lens by which to understand the behaviors of both the stigmatized and stigmatizers, for it allows an examination of both as living with regard to what really matters and what is threatened. We hypothesize that stigma exerts its core effects by threatening the loss or diminution of what is most at stake, or by actually diminishing or destroying that lived value. We utilize…

matched on Morals (mesh), moral emotion (text)

Prevalence of Moral Injury in Nationally Representative Samples of Combat Veterans, Healthcare Workers, and First Responders.

Background: Moral injury affects a variety of populations who make ethically complex decisions involving their own and others' well-being, including combat veterans, healthcare workers, and first responders. Yet little is known about occupational differences in the prevalence of morally injurious exposures and outcomes in nationally representative samples of such populations. Objective: To examine prevalence of potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) exposure and clinically meaningful moral injury in three high-risk groups. Design: Cross-sectional survey with responses weighted to national geodemographic benchmarks. Participants: Combat veterans, healthcare workers, and first responders (N=1232) in the USA. Main measure: Moral Injury and Distress Scale (MIDS). Key results: Many combat veterans (49.3%), healthcare workers (50.8%), and first responders (41.6%) endorsed exposure to a PMI…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Bringing Light into the Dark: Moral Injury and Exploring the Impact of Eliciting Moral Elevation on the Daily Experiences of U.S. Veterans.

Moral elevation is described as feeling inspired after witnessing someone engage in virtuous behavior, whereas moral injury is the result of internal conflict that stems from exposure to morally injurious experiences. Building on previous work that used moral elevation to benefit veterans, this study explored the relationship between eliciting elevation, daily motives, and affective experiences for veterans with moral injury-related distress. Using an ABA experimental design, veterans (final n = 22) first completed 4 daily surveys that only included brief daily measures (A), followed by 4 days of measures combined with a daily elevation-eliciting exercise (B), then 4 daily surveys with measures only again (A). On days 5-8, elevation was elicited by presenting short video clips featuring moral exemplars performing virtuous acts, consistent with previous work. Using linear mixed effects mo…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Moral injury and quality of life among military veterans.

Introduction: Moral injury concerns transgressive harms and the outcomes that such experiences may cause. A gap in the literature surrounding moral injury, and an outcome that may be important to include in the mounting evidence toward the need for the formal clinical acknowledgement of moral injury, has to do with the relationship between moral injury and quality of life. No studies have examined this relationship in US military veterans-a population that is disproportionately exposed to potentially morally injurious events. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted yielding 1495 military veterans. Participants were asked questions about moral injury and quality of life, among other things. Multivariable linear regression was used to characterise the adjusted relationship between moral injury and quality of life. Results: Moral injury (mean=40.1 out of 98) and quality-o…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

The impact of moral injury on suicide risk among recently discharged Israeli veterans: A longitudinal moderated mediation model of trauma-related guilt and self-forgiveness.

Background: Exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) during military service has been associated with heightened trauma-related guilt levels, which in turn, could increase suicide risk among combat veterans. However, no longitudinal study has established temporal associations between these variables while examining a Moderated mediation model with self-forgiveness as a possible moderator of the PMIEs-suicide risk links during the first year following discharge. Method: Participants were 374 active-duty Israeli combatants who participated in a 5-year longitudinal study with three measurement points: 1 month before discharge from army service (T1), then 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3) following their discharge. Data were assessed through semistructured interviews and validated self-report questionnaires. Results: All PMIE dimensions at T1 were negatively associated with s…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

The Development of a Moral Compass: Exploring Age and Gender Differences in Moral Foundations In Early and Mid-Adolescence.

Introduction: The Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) identifies innate moral foundations that drive moral judgment, and are assumed to mature at different phases throughout development. However, core developmental aspects of moral foundations, such as normative age and gender differences from an MFT perspective, remain relatively unexplored, particularly in pre-adulthood. Therefore, the present study investigates age and gender differences in moral foundations during adolescence, a sensitive phase for moral identity development. Methods: Cross-sectional data was collected from 2022 to 2024 in a wide variety of elementary and secondary schools in Flanders, Belgium. A total of 778 adolescents (Mage = 13.14, SDage = 1.76, age range = 10-17 years, 55.4% boys, 44.6% girls) completed 30 moral foundation vignettes. Results: Regression analysis revealed normative decreases in all moral foundations w…

matched on Morals (mesh), Moral Development (mesh)

Veterans' experiences of moral injury, treatment and recommendations for future support.

Introduction: Moral injury (MI) significantly impacts the lives of many UK military veterans however, there is a lack of manualised treatment to address the needs of this population. To develop future treatments that are acceptable and well tolerated, veterans should be consulted on their experiences of existing psychological treatments and suggestions for future treatments. Methods: 10 UK military veterans were interviewed about their experiences of receiving treatment for psychological difficulties after MI, and beliefs about core components of future treatments. Thematic analysis of these interviews were conducted. Results: 2 superordinate themes were identified: experiences of previous mental health treatment and perceptions of the proposed treatments. Reflections on cognitive behavioural therapy were mixed, with some describing that it did not ameliorate their guilt or shame. In fut…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Moral injury in post-9/11 combat-experienced military veterans: A qualitative thematic analysis.

War zone exposure is associated with enduring negative mental health effects and poorer responses to treatment, in part because this type of trauma can entail crises of conscience or moral injury. Although a great deal of attention has been paid to posttraumatic stress disorder and fear-based physiological aspects of trauma and suffering, comparatively less attention has been given to the morally injurious dimension of trauma. Robust themes of moral injury were identified in interviews with 26 post-9/11 military veterans. Thematic analysis identified 12 themes that were subsumed under four categories reflecting changes, shifts, or ruptures in worldview, meaning making, identity, and relationships. Moral injury is a unique and challenging clinical construct with impacts on the individual as well as at every level of the social ecological system. Recommendations are offered for addressing …

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Biopsychosocial Correlates and Individual Differences for Eliciting Moral Elevation in Veterans With PTSD: An Experimental Case Series.

A promising approach to enhancing trauma-focused treatment is moral elevation-feeling inspired by witnessing a virtuous act. This study explored potential links between eliciting elevation and relevant outcomes in a series of case examples. Veterans with probable posttraumatic stress disorder completed experimental tasks including a written trauma narrative exercise and watching elevation-eliciting videos. Participants also completed baseline assessments, repeated measures of trauma-related cognitions, emotions, elevation, and saliva sample collection. Four cases were identified and reviewed: two positive responders (high elevation after videos) and two nonresponders (restricted elevation response). Positive responder cases reported decreased cognitions, emotions, and moral injury distress from after the trauma narrative to after elevation exercises, whereas nonresponders reported minima…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Enhancing the Utility of the Moral Injury Experience Wheel: Manualized Applications for Diverse Contexts.

Moral injury has emerged as an important construct for understanding the distress experienced in the aftermath of a moral violation, initially among combat veterans and increasingly among other populations, such as healthcare workers and first responders. While numerous measures have been validated to assess for exposure to potentially morally injurious events and/or sequelae, additional tools are needed to facilitate nuanced discussion of the experience of moral injury in therapeutic encounters. The Moral Injury Experience Wheel (MIEW; Fleming, 2023) is an infographic instrument that is designed to elicit precise language and help differentiate feelings in an effort to process morally perplexing circumstances. This paper describes the contents and potential clinical applications of a newly developed manual to guide the use of the MIEW. The MIEW and manual are designed to be used indepen…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Trajectories of moral injury and their associations with posttraumatic stress symptoms among recently discharged israeli veterans.

Background: While it is already known that potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) have a deleterious effect on veterans, little is known about the changes in PMIEs subjective appraisals over time, as well as its contribution to changes in psychiatric symptoms. In the current study, we longitudinally assessed subjective appraisals of PMIEs experienced during combat military service and their associations with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among recently discharged combat veterans. Method: Participants were 374 veterans who participated in a one-year longitudinal study with three measurement points: T1-one month before discharge from army service, and then again six months and twelve months following discharge (T2 and T3, respectively). Results: Latent Growth Mixture Modeling (LGMM) indicated heterogenic patterns of changes in PMIEs across measurements. The 'resilient' (low an…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Moral Distress in the Time of COVID-19: Occupational Therapists' Perspectives.

The conditions of COVID-19 have caused moral distress in healthcare workers. Occupational therapists have had to adapt to these unknown times to best treat their clients. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of moral distress in occupational therapists during the time of COVID-19. Eighteen occupational therapists were included who worked in a variety of settings. Investigators conducted semi-structured interviews to explore experience with moral distress (distress felt when confronting an ethical problem) during the time of COVID-19. The data were analyzed using a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to generate themes regarding the experience of moral distress. Investigators identified themes of occupational therapists' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. These themes included: Experiences of moral distress, capturing participants' encounters with morally dis…

matched on Morals (mesh), Ethics (keyword)

The Moral Injury and Distress Scale: Psychometric evaluation and initial validation in three high-risk populations.

Objective: The concept of moral injury resonates with impacted populations, but research has been limited by existing measures, which have primarily focused on war veterans and asked about exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) rather than PMIE exposure outcomes. Our goal was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Moral Injury and Distress Scale (MIDS), a new measure of the possible emotional, cognitive, behavioral, social, and/or spiritual sequelae of PMIE exposure. Method: The MIDS was validated by surveying three groups: military veterans, healthcare workers, and first responders (N = 1,232). Results: Most respondents (75.0%; n = 924) reported PMIE exposure. Analyses yielded 18 items that contributed to a single latent factor representing moral distress with fully or partially invariant configurations, loadings, and intercepts across occupational g…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Using the Moral Injury and Distress Scale to identify clinically meaningful moral injury.

Despite the proliferation of moral injury studies, a remaining gap is distinguishing moral injury from normative distress following exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs). Our goal was to leverage mental health and functional measures to identify clinically meaningful and functionally impairing moral injury using the Moral Injury and Distress Scale (MIDS). Participants who endorsed PMIE exposure (N = 645) were drawn from a population-based sample of military veterans, health care workers, and first responders. Using signal detection methods, we identified the optimally efficient MIDS score for detecting clinically significant posttraumatic stress and depressive symptom severity, trauma-related guilt, and functional impairment. The most efficient cut scores across outcomes converged between 24 and 27. We recommend a cut score of 27 given that roughly 70% of participants …

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Properties of the modified self-forgiveness dual-process scale in populations at risk for moral injury.

Despite theory suggesting that self-forgiveness facilitates recovery from moral injury, no measure of self-forgiveness has been validated with individuals exposed to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs). Military veterans, healthcare workers, and first responders who reported PMIE exposure (n = 924) completed the Self-Forgiveness Dual-Process Scale, which assesses two dimensions of the self-forgiveness process. The first dimension, value affirmation, refers to appraising personal responsibility and being willing to make amends for one's involvement in a PMIE. The second dimension, esteem restoration, refers to accepting oneself as valuable and capable of growth despite one's failures and imperfections. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses replicated the original scale's two-factor structure in 10 items modified to apply to the diverse contexts in which PMIEs occur. Next, …

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Examining the outcomes and acceptability of a peer-led spiritual intervention for moral injury in a veteran service organization.

The purpose of this proof-of-concept study was to examine the outcomes and acceptability of a spiritual intervention for moral injury led by veteran peers in a Veteran Service Organization (VSO), called "Heroes to Heroes." From baseline to 1-year follow-up, 101 veterans who participated in the intervention completed the evaluation surveys at four time points assessing psychological outcomes (moral injury, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms, and life satisfaction), spiritual outcomes (spiritual struggles and spiritual transcendence), and their perceived helpfulness of the program. In addition, we conducted four focus groups with six to eight alumni to more fully understand veterans' views and experiences of the program. Focusing on the longitudinal surveys, latent growth modeling analyses revealed veterans generally improved across the psychological and spiritual outcomes in th…

matched on Morals (mesh), Veterans (mesh)

Development of Moral Judgments in Impersonal and Personal Dilemmas in Autistic Spectrum Disorders from Childhood to Late Adolescence.

A potential underlying mechanism associated with the difficulties in social interactions in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) concerns the abnormal development of moral reasoning. The present study examined utilitarian and deontological judgments in impersonal and personal moral dilemmas, comparing 66 individuals with ASD and 61 typically developing (TD) individuals between 6 and 18 years. Utilitarian judgments decreased with age. This decline was much more gradual for personal dilemmas in the ASD than in the TD group. ASD individuals rated utilitarian judgments as more appropriate but felt less calm, consistent with the Empathy Imbalance hypothesis. Utilitarian judgments were associated with social interaction difficulties in ASD. These findings identify possible social therapeutic targets for more efficient coping strategies in individuals with ASD.

matched on Morals (mesh), Judgment (mesh)