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ERIC Number: EJ1488656
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-7240
EISSN: EISSN-1465-3877
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Can Exposure to Specific Acts of Compassion and Courage Elicit Moral Elevation and Related Motives?
Joanna G. Fagan1; Katrina Henley1; Shalet Punnoose1; Adam P. McGuire1,2,3
Journal of Moral Education, v54 n3 p425-437 2025
Previous studies suggest that witnessing virtuous acts triggers moral elevation--feeling inspired and motivated to imitate the virtue. However, there is a gap in understanding differences in elevation responses to distinct virtuous acts and subsequent motivations to perform similar virtuous behavior. This study explored the potential differences in responses following exposure to two relevant virtues: compassion and courage. A sample of undergraduate students (N = 369) completed an assessment of values and their relative importance, viewed two elevation eliciting videos that feature compassion and courage, then completed questionnaires assessing state-level responses to the videos. Results suggested, the compassion video elicited higher elevation than the courage video overall, and people with compassion as a top value reported higher elevation reactions to the compassion video. However, virtue-specific motivations were not different across videos and valuing courage was not associated with differences in reactions to the courage video. Potential implications and future directions are discussed.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychology and Counseling, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA; 2VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA; 3Department of Psychology and Counseling, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX, USA