Ohayon Sarel, Ronel Natti
Department of Criminology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Department of Criminology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2025 Mar;170:209624. doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2025.209624. Epub 2025 Jan 24.
The robust literature on moral psychology research has often overlooked people struggling with addiction, partly due to social, theoretical, and methodological biases. This has created a gap in understanding the role of moral thinking and its influence on addiction and recovery. To address this, our hermeneutic phenomenological study, the first in a series, explores the moral voice of individuals contending with addiction.
The study interviewed 34 male participants from various ethnical backgrounds and ages with substance and behavioral addictions using semi-structured methods, focusing on factors shaping their moral thinking and behavior.
The findings highlight that moral thinking is central to individuals with addiction, yet it fails to regulate behavior due to conflicting addictive drives, and its presence during active addiction can hinder recovery efforts. This misalignment often leads to tormenting internal conflict and a detrimental effect on both self and others. Participants attempted to establish a modus vivendi (a manner of living) but often failed, resulting in covert moral schemas that complicate their psychological states. This phenomenon, described as a moral spin, illustrates the complex interplay between addiction and morality.
To address rebuilding moral identity and recovery, we may support framing egocentrism positively through a self-compassionate moral inventory.
关于道德心理学研究的丰富文献常常忽视了与成瘾作斗争的人们，部分原因是社会、理论和方法上的偏见。这在理解道德思维的作用及其对成瘾和康复的影响方面造成了差距。为了解决这个问题，我们的诠释现象学研究是系列研究中的第一项，探讨了与成瘾作斗争的个体的道德声音。
该研究使用半结构化方法采访了34名来自不同种族背景和年龄段、患有物质成瘾和行为成瘾的男性参与者，重点关注塑造他们道德思维和行为的因素。
研究结果突出表明，道德思维对成瘾个体至关重要，但由于相互冲突的成瘾冲动，它无法调节行为，并且在成瘾活跃期的存在会阻碍康复努力。这种不一致常常导致折磨人的内心冲突，并对自己和他人产生有害影响。参与者试图建立一种生活方式，但往往失败，导致隐秘的道德模式使他们的心理状态复杂化。这种被描述为道德扭曲的现象，说明了成瘾与道德之间复杂的相互作用。
为了应对重建道德身份和康复的问题，我们可以通过富有同情心的道德清单来支持积极构建自我中心主义。
