The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the moderating role of willpower, conceptualized as a personality trait, in the relationship between social influence and moral disengagement towards migrants. The mediating role of spiritual contradiction is also investigated to understa...

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Main Author: Nesrullah Okan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Brain and Behavior
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70506
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author Nesrullah Okan
author_facet Nesrullah Okan
author_sort Nesrullah Okan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the moderating role of willpower, conceptualized as a personality trait, in the relationship between social influence and moral disengagement towards migrants. The mediating role of spiritual contradiction is also investigated to understand the interplay between individual traits, moral contradictions, and external social pressures. Method: Data were collected from 720 participants using validated self‐report measures. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed relationships among social influence, moral disengagement, spiritual contradiction, and willpower. Moderation and mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate the hypothesized model. Results: The findings reveal that social influence significantly predicts moral disengagement. This relationship is partially mediated by spiritual contradiction, which amplifies disengagement by reflecting tensions between internal moral values and external norms. In addition, the study found that willpower moderates this relationship by reducing the negative impact of social influence on moral disengagement. Individuals with higher levels of willpower demonstrate greater resistance to moral disengagement and maintain moral consistency despite external pressures and moral contradictions. Conclusions: This study underlines the pivotal function of personality traits and spiritual dimensions in shaping moral processes. The findings have practical applications for ethical education and interventions designed to enhance moral resilience in varied social contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-00b8f3310e3941e6a4c63b9ce77479562025-08-20T01:57:12ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792025-05-01155n/an/a10.1002/brb3.70506The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement ContradictionNesrullah Okan0Department of Educational Sciences, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Fırat University Elazığ TurkeyAbstract Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the moderating role of willpower, conceptualized as a personality trait, in the relationship between social influence and moral disengagement towards migrants. The mediating role of spiritual contradiction is also investigated to understand the interplay between individual traits, moral contradictions, and external social pressures. Method: Data were collected from 720 participants using validated self‐report measures. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed relationships among social influence, moral disengagement, spiritual contradiction, and willpower. Moderation and mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate the hypothesized model. Results: The findings reveal that social influence significantly predicts moral disengagement. This relationship is partially mediated by spiritual contradiction, which amplifies disengagement by reflecting tensions between internal moral values and external norms. In addition, the study found that willpower moderates this relationship by reducing the negative impact of social influence on moral disengagement. Individuals with higher levels of willpower demonstrate greater resistance to moral disengagement and maintain moral consistency despite external pressures and moral contradictions. Conclusions: This study underlines the pivotal function of personality traits and spiritual dimensions in shaping moral processes. The findings have practical applications for ethical education and interventions designed to enhance moral resilience in varied social contexts.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70506attitudes towards immigrantsmoral contradictionmoral disengagementpersonalitysocial influencewillpower
spellingShingle Nesrullah Okan
The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction
Brain and Behavior
attitudes towards immigrants
moral contradiction
moral disengagement
personality
social influence
willpower
title The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction
title_full The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction
title_fullStr The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction
title_full_unstemmed The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction
title_short The Moderating Role of Willpower as a Personality Trait in the Relationship Between Social Influence and Moral Disengagement Contradiction
title_sort moderating role of willpower as a personality trait in the relationship between social influence and moral disengagement contradiction
topic attitudes towards immigrants
moral contradiction
moral disengagement
personality
social influence
willpower
url https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70506
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