Triggering the Moralisation of Eating Meat: The Role of Perceived Dyadic Harm

Bellm, Millicent (2022) Triggering the Moralisation of Eating Meat: The Role of Perceived Dyadic Harm. Research Master thesis, Research Master.

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Abstract

Research on attitude moralisation aims to better understand how something becomes a moral issue. In this thesis, we apply insights about moralisation to the question of how meat-eating becomes seen in a moral light. By applying the theory of dyadic harm to explain attitude moralisation, we developed and experimentally tested a conceptual model that predicts when attitude moralisation of meat-eating may be triggered. Our model was tested (N = 401) in the context of harm inflicted on pigs by employees in British slaughterhouses. Specifically, we tested three hypotheses which predicted that (1) attitude moralisation is most likely to occur when a perpetrator inflicts greater harm upon a victim with a higher capacity for suffering, because (2) perceiving greater harm inflicted and a higher capacity for suffering elicits greater experiences of moral emotions and attitude moralisation, and (3) it is the experience of negative moral emotions that mediates the relationship between perceived dyadic harm and attitude moralisation. We found support for one part of our dyadic harm manipulation, but not for the other part. Keywords: attitude moralisation, dyadic harm, moral emotions

Item Type:	Thesis (Research Master)
Supervisor name:	Zomeren, M. van
Degree programme:	Research Master
Differentiation route:	Social and Organizational Psychology [Research Master]
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2022 07:19
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2022 07:19
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/931

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