The Moral Foundations Theory has come to dominate the field of moral psychology, and it is increasingly being used in the study of political ideology. But research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that some parts of the theory need to be tweaked.
The new study, led by psychologists Don E. Davis and Kenneth Rice of Georgia State University, found the theory does not replicate well among Black people living in the United States.
Moral Foundations Theory “has already been a useful framework from which to examine a variety of moral phenomena in various social settings,” the researchers said. “However, the generalizability of findings across diverse cultures and with diverse participants is an important feature of scientific progress.”
Moral Foundations Theory provides a framework to understand the similarities and differences in mortality across cultures. The theory posits five main moral foundations:
1.) Harm – caring for and not hurting others. The virtues related to this foundation are kindness, gentleness, and nurturance.
2.) Fairness – promoting equality and reciprocity. The virtues related to this foundation are justice, rights, and autonomy.
3.) Ingroup loyalty – following through on obligations to one’s group. The virtues related to this foundation are patriotism and self-sacrifice.
4.) Authority – respecting leadership and the social hierarchy. The key virtue related to this foundation is obedience.
5.) Purity – controlling desires and observing the sanctity of social norms. The virtues related to this foundation are wholesomeness, chastity, and cleanliness.
The first two foundations — harm and fairness — are considered “individualizing” foundations, while the last three foundations — loyalty, authority and purity — are considered “binding” foundations.
Research on Moral Foundations Theory has found that political liberals tend to focus on the “individualizing” foundations, while conservatives are more drawn to the “binding” foundations. The theory suggests that the “binding” foundations are closely aligned with not just conservatism, but also religiosity.
However, Davis and Rice observed that Black people in the United States tend to be both more religious and more liberal on average than White people. Studies about Moral Foundation Theory, the researchers noted, have consisted mostly of White participants. (Nearly 9 in 10 participants in the study used to create the Moral Foundations Questionnaire were White.)
To investigate this discrepancy, the researchers used the Moral Foundations Questionnaire along with political and religious surveys in two studies of 1183 Black and White undergraduate students.
They found that the relationship between the “binding” foundations and conservatism was weaker among Black people. Specifically, the relationship between conservatism and authority, and the relationship between conservatism and purity, was weaker among Black people than White people. The relationship between conservatism and religious commitment was also weaker among the Black participants.
“It may be overstated to say that political liberals draw on binding foundations less than do conservatives. We suggest reframing this hypothesis to emphasize that political liberals and conservatives order the binding virtues differently,” the researchers wrote in their study.
