The what, how, and why of moralization: A review of current definitions, methods, and evidence in moralization research
Corresponding Author
Joshua J. Rhee
University of Melbourne
Correspondence
Joshua J. Rhee, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Email: [email protected].
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Joshua J. Rhee
University of Melbourne
Correspondence
Joshua J. Rhee, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Email: [email protected].
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Moralization has major social and political implications. Although there is a depth of research on the nature and implications of moral attitudes and moral convictions, there has been less of a focus on the psychological processes by which actions, attitudes, or entities become moralized, or move from lesser to greater moral significance, and the research that does exist is highly fragmented. In the present paper, we provide a two-factor structure for understanding the current state of research on moralization, categorizing extant moralization research by (1) whether it examines judgments of actions, attitudes, or entities and (2) whether it captures moral recognition (the shift from neutral to moral), or moral amplification. Using this framework, we then consider the various routes through which moralization may occur, discuss emerging research on the influence that social norms can have on this process, and address future areas of research. Overall, we hope to provide some initial steps toward developing a more integrated framework for understanding moralization.
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