Maggots and morals: Physical disgust is to fear as moral disgust is to anger1

Lee, Spike W. S.; Ellsworth, Phoebe C.

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199592746.003.0018

Cited by 30 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…We expect moral disgust to be elicited essentially in social situations implying an individual ('the causal agent', according to Lee & Ellsworth, 2011) behaving immorally toward someone who is in a position of weakness and vulnerability (Gray & Wegner, 2011). In addition, we believe the events of moral disgust to be similar to types of immoral situations conventionally cited in the literature as betrayal, disloyalty, or racism (Haidt & Hersh, 2001;Simpson et al, 2006), although these antecedents have never been identified rigorously.…”

Section: Specific Emotional Appraisal Profiles Of Physical and Moral mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…More recent studies propose a classification of disgust that distinguishes between physical disgust (also called basic or core disgust) and moral (or 'socio-moral') disgust (Lee & Ellsworth, 2011;Marzillier & Davey, 2004;Simpson et al, 2006). Indeed, the nature of their respective objects and functions seems to be quite distinct, as suggested by Chapman and Anderson (2012).…”

Section: Distinction Between Physical Disgust and Moral Disgustmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Relying on cognitive appraisal theories (Roseman, 2001;Smith & Ellsworth, 1985), Lee and Ellsworth (2011) argued that physical and moral disgust imply different appraisals, which make people feel and act differently. Specifically, they hypothesized the existence of two separate appraisal profiles associated with the emotion of disgust, one more similar to that of fear and the other more similar to that of anger.…”

Section: Specific Emotional Appraisal Profiles Of Physical and Moral mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We examine self-reported emotions in response to clearly identified events of physical and moral disgust experienced and written down by participants. We expect the recalled physical disgust-inducing events to evoke essentially 'pure' disgust with no other emotions involved (except for fear; see Lee & Ellsworth, 2011), whereas situations of moral disgust are expected to induce not only disgust but also other negative emotions such as anger and sadness. Furthermore, the emotion words used in the narratives of moral disgust should be more linked to anger and sadness compared to those in physical disgust narratives.…”

Section: Specific Emotional Appraisal Profiles Of Physical and Moral mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The two sides of disgust: A lexical and thematic content analysis of narratives of personally experienced physical and moral disgust

Abitan

Krauth‐Gruber

2015

Social Science Information

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The present study examined narratives about situations in which individuals experience physical and/or moral disgust, and the similarities and differences between them. A thematic content analysis of participants' narratives of personal physically or morally disgusting experiences as well as a lexical analysis using the computer program ALCESTE revealed that physical disgust emerges in an instantaneous reflex-like way during situations in which the individual is directly exposed to physical disgust elicitors. Physically disgusting events are described from an actor's perspective and induce predominantly 'pure' disgust in the absence of other negative emotions. Furthermore, physical disgust, which strongly involves sensory modalities such as vision, odor, touch and taste, leads to more bodily reactions (e.g. nausea, tremor) and impels avoidance behavior. Morally disgusting events relate primarily to the observation of others as the victims of violence, betrayal and injustice (observer perspective), and involve judgments and reflections about the event, suggesting more in-depth cognitive elaboration. Morally disgusting events were found also to induce other negative emotions, such as anger and sadness. Our results suggest that these two types of disgust are sufficiently distinct to anticipate that they might differentially affect individuals' social and moral judgments. Keywords ALCESTE, content analysis, moral and social judgment, physical and moral disgust RésuméCette étude a examiné des récits de situations dans lesquelles les individus ressentent du dégoût physique et/ou moral et les similitudes et différences entre ces deux types de dégoût. Une analyse de contenu thématique des récits, ainsi qu'une analyse lexicale à l'aide du logiciel ALCESTE a révélé que le dégoût physique survient de manière instantanée dans des situations dans lesquelles l'individu est directement exposé aux inducteurs du dégoût physique. Les événements physiquement dégoûtants sont davantage relatés selon une perspective d'acteur et induisent principalement un dégoût 'pur' en l'absence d'autres émotions négatives. De plus, le dégoût physique, qui implique fortement des modalités sensorielles comme la vision, l'odorat, le toucher et le goût, conduit davantage à des manifestations corporelles (nausées, tremblements, etc.) et incite aux comportements d'évitement. En revanche, les événements moralement dégoutants portent principalement sur l'observation des autres comme victimes de violence, de trahison et d'injustice (perspective d'observateur) et impliquent des jugements et des réflexions sur la situation, suggérant une élaboration cognitive plus approfondie. Les événements moralement répugnants se sont aussi avérés induire d'autres émotions négatives, telles que la colère et la tristesse. Nos résultats suggèrent que ces deux types de dégoût sont suffisamment distincts pour qu'ils puissent affecter différemment les jugements sociaux et moraux des individus. Mots-clés ALCESTE, analyse de contenu, dégoût physique et moral, jugement moral et s...

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Section: Specific Emotional Appraisal Profiles Of Physical and Moral mentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Distinction Between Physical Disgust and Moral Disgustmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Specific Emotional Appraisal Profiles Of Physical and Moral mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Specific Emotional Appraisal Profiles Of Physical and Moral mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The two sides of disgust: A lexical and thematic content analysis of narratives of personally experienced physical and moral disgust

Abitan

Krauth‐Gruber

2015

Social Science Information

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“…3). Moreover, the fundamental distinction between bodily/physical and moral disgust has been the focus of several recent analyses, arguing that these domains are characterized by distinct types of appraisal, with bodily disgust resembling fear and moral disgust resembling anger (Lee & Ellsworth, 2013;Russell & Giner-Sorolla, 2013).…”

Section: Disgust and Contamination Appraisalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contamination Appraisals, Pollution Beliefs, and the Role of Cultural Inheritance in Shaping Disease Avoidance Behavior

Feder

2015

Cognitive Science

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Despite the upsurge of research on disgust, the implications of this research for the investigation of cultural pollution beliefs has yet to be adequately explored. In particular, the sensitivity of both disgust and pollution to a common set of elicitors (e.g., bodily emissions, disease, and death) suggests a common psychological basis, though several obstacles have prevented an integrative account, including methodological differences between the relevant disciplines. Employing a conciliatory framework that embraces both naturalistic (evolutionary) and humanistic levels of explanation, this article examines the dynamic reciprocal process by which contamination/contagion appraisals in individuals serve to shape-and are in turn shaped by-culture-specific pollution beliefs. This complex interrelationship is illustrated by examining ancient Near Eastern and modern ethnographic documentation of pollution beliefs, highlighting the underappreciated function of these pollution beliefs as folk theories for the spread of infectious disease. By evaluating how pollution beliefs (as also modern germ theory) shape contamination appraisals in individuals, it will be argued that cultural inheritance has played a much larger role in guiding disease avoidance behavior than has been previously recognized.

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Physical and Moral Disgust in Socially Believable Behaving Systems in Different Cultures

Lewandowska‐Tomaszczyk

Wilson

2016

Toward Robotic Socially Believable Behaving Systems - Volume I

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Maggots and morals: Physical disgust is to fear as moral disgust is to anger1

Cited by 30 publications

References 35 publications

The two sides of disgust: A lexical and thematic content analysis of narratives of personally experienced physical and moral disgust

The two sides of disgust: A lexical and thematic content analysis of narratives of personally experienced physical and moral disgust

Contamination Appraisals, Pollution Beliefs, and the Role of Cultural Inheritance in Shaping Disease Avoidance Behavior

Physical and Moral Disgust in Socially Believable Behaving Systems in Different Cultures

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