Open AccessAffect Control Theory Applied to Morality
Author(s) -
Neil J. MacKin
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
american behavioral scientist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-3381
pISSN - 0002-7642
DOI - 10.1177/00027642211066042
Subject(s) - morality , affect (linguistics) , statement (logic) , social cognitive theory of morality , moral development , control (management) , sociology , social psychology , epistemology , moral disengagement , psychology , environmental ethics , computer science , philosophy , communication , artificial intelligence
This paper explores the application of affect control theory (ACT) to the study of morality. A concise statement of ACT sets the stage for presenting examples of applying the theory to morality. This includes exploring the moral implications or overtones of social concepts (social identities, behaviors, traits, and settings); computer simulations of impressions created by moral and immoral events; and a discussion of several studies directly applying ACT to morality. The paper concludes with a detailed discussion of what ACT can contribute to moral psychology and the sociology of morality.