Unveiling the Moral Disengagement Mechanisms in Environmentally Unfriendly Behaviors: A Mixed-Method Approach to Scale Development

Growing evidence suggests that the framework of moral disengagement is key to understanding individual behaviors in relation to the environmental crisis. We developed and validated the multi-dimensional Moral Disengagement mechanisms in Environmentally unfriendly Behaviors Scale (MD-EBS) using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Study 1 highlighted a set of specific moral disengagement mechanisms. Study 2 revealed an eight-factor structure ( N = 613), which was subsequently confirmed in Study 3 ( N = 560). Across our tests of validity, six moral disengagement mechanisms were significantly lower in women and respondents with an environmentalist political orientation, and negatively associated with empathy and self-reported eco-friendly behaviors, both concurrent and 1 month later. In contrast, one mechanism repeatedly showed links in the opposite direction, while another was shared by all respondents, consistent with our previous qualitative findings and underscoring the need for a multi-dimensional measure of moral disengagement in the context of the climate crisis.