Georgoulas-Sherry Vasiliki, Hernandez Hanna G
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
Department of Psychology, California State University, Fresno, California, USA.
Mil Psychol. 2021 Nov 5;34(2):167-174. doi: 10.1080/08995605.2021.1982631. eCollection 2022.
Individuals exposed to combat-like environments are often challenged with moral conflict. The scientific investigation of moral competence on adverse environments is limited, although soldier narratives have shown how, in combat, military personnel must face challenging moral dilemmas. Additionally, the impact of grit and resilience on moral competence following combat-like environments is unknown. Recruiting 107 participants from a private US Military university, this study investigated the impact of moral competence, including the moderating effects of grit and resilience, following exposure to combat-like environments. To simulate a combat-like environment, participants were placed in either an immersive (i.e., Bravemind) or non-immersive (i.e., Virtual Battlespace 3) environment. Self-reported resilience, grit, and moral competence were measured using Resilience Scale for Adults, the Grit Scale, and the Moral Competence Test, respectively. Findings showed that following exposure to simulated combat-like environments, moral competence scores were higher in participants exposed to combat-like environments. Furthermore, results revealed a main effect of grit on moral competence, suggesting that grit could have functioned as a buffer following simulated combat. These findings can provide a richer understanding of how, following combat-like environments, moral competence can be impacted and how grit and resilience can help protect the ability to successfully face moral dilemmas.
身处类似战斗环境中的个体常常面临道德冲突。尽管士兵的叙述展示了军事人员在战斗中如何必须面对具有挑战性的道德困境，但针对不利环境下道德能力的科学研究却很有限。此外，在类似战斗的环境之后，坚毅和复原力对道德能力的影响尚不清楚。本研究从一所美国私立军事大学招募了107名参与者，调查了在接触类似战斗环境后道德能力的影响，包括坚毅和复原力的调节作用。为了模拟类似战斗的环境，参与者被置于沉浸式环境（即Bravemind）或非沉浸式环境（即虚拟战场3）中。分别使用成人复原力量表、坚毅量表和道德能力测试来测量自我报告的复原力、坚毅和道德能力。研究结果表明，在接触模拟的类似战斗环境后，接触过类似战斗环境的参与者的道德能力得分更高。此外，结果揭示了坚毅对道德能力的主效应，表明坚毅可能在模拟战斗后起到了缓冲作用。这些发现可以更深入地理解在类似战斗的环境之后，道德能力是如何受到影响的，以及坚毅和复原力如何有助于保护成功面对道德困境的能力。
