The term "moral reasoning" refers to the process by which individuals determine whether an action is right or wrong based on their personal beliefs and values. Ethical reasoning involves making decisions about how to act based on one's understanding of societal norms, rules, and laws. Both types of reasoning are important for human beings, particularly when it comes to military service. Soldiers must make difficult choices during wartime, and their actions can have serious consequences for themselves and others. In order to do so effectively, they need to have sound moral and ethical frameworks.
Emotional experiences can also play a role in shaping these frameworks. The current study explores this relationship by examining the experiences of soldiers who have been deployed to war zones.
Methods:
Forty-five veterans from different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces participated in the study. All had served multiple deployments in combat zones between 20010 and 2015. Each participant completed a questionnaire that asked about their moral and ethical beliefs before, during, and after deployment. They also completed measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health symptoms.
Results:
The results showed that there was a significant association between soldiers' emotional experiences during deployment and their moral and ethical beliefs. Specifically, those with more PTSD symptoms were less likely to believe that some forms of violence were acceptable under certain circumstances.
Soldiers who experienced trauma were more likely to feel remorseful about their actions afterwards. These findings suggest that emotional experiences may influence soldiers' moral and ethical reasoning in complex ways.
Discussion:
These results highlight the importance of understanding how emotions shape soldiers' decision-making processes. They also suggest that further research is needed to explore the link between emotions and moral and ethical reasoning in more depth.
Future studies could examine how different types of emotional experiences (e.g., fear vs. guilt) affect soldiers' moral and ethical judgements.
This study provides important insights into the role of emotions in shaping soldiers' moral and ethical frameworks.
In what ways do soldiers' emotional experiences contribute to moral and ethical reasoning?
Soldiers are exposed to highly stressful situations that can negatively impact their mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that exposure to combat increases the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other mental health issues. These conditions can affect an individual's ability to make sound judgments and moral decisions.