Albert Bandura’s moral disengagement refers to the psychological process by which people justify or rationalise harmful behaviour so they can do it without feeling guilt or self-condemnation.

It was developed by psychologist Albert Bandura as part of his social cognitive theory.

---

🧠 Definition (clear version)

Moral disengagement mechanisms are mental strategies that allow a person to:

act in ways that violate their own moral standards without feeling personally responsible or guilty.

In other words:

• The behaviour stays the same
• But the internal moral alarm system gets switched off

---

🔧 Key Moral Disengagement Mechanisms

Bandura identified several main ways people do this:

1. 🧾 Moral justification

Harmful behaviour is framed as “good” or “necessary”

• “I did it for their own good”
• “It was the only way”

---

2. 🗣️ Euphemistic labelling

Using soft language to disguise harm

• “I was just being strict” instead of “I was cruel”
• “It was a correction” instead of “it was punishment”

---

3. 🎯 Advantageous comparison

Comparing behaviour to something worse

• “At least I didn’t do what they did”
• “Others are much worse”

---

4. 🚫 Displacement of responsibility

Blaming authority or circumstances

• “I was told to do it”
• “I had no choice”

---

5. 🧍 Diffusion of responsibility

Spreading responsibility across a group

• “Everyone was doing it”
• “It wasn’t just me”

---

6. 👤 Dehumanisation

Seeing the other person as less human

• “They deserved it”
• “They don’t really matter”

---

7. 📉 Minimising consequences

Downplaying the harm caused

• “It wasn’t that bad”
• “They’ll get over it”

---

🧭 Core idea

Bandura’s key insight was:

People don’t stop themselves from doing harm because of behaviour alone—
they stop themselves when they feel personal moral responsibility.

Moral disengagement is how that responsibility gets switched off.

---