The Contextual Moral Justification Dynamics Theory (CMJDT): A Multi-Option Framework of Motivation, Mediation, Moral Conflict, Justification, and Choice

AbstractThis paper proposes the Contextual Moral Justification Dynamics Theory (CMJDT), amulti-option theoretical framework for investigating how motivation, unmet needs, aspirations,individual characteristics, situational constraints, execution modes, perceived responsibility,psychological distance, and normative commitments may jointly shape moral conflict, moraljustification, and choice.The framework develops the Moral Justification Dilemma (MJD) as its central construct andretains the Button-Press Moral Justification Case (BPMJC) as its primary thought experiment.In this case, a person experiencing severe financial hardship is offered substantial personal benefitsand the immediate recovery of a critically ill loved one on the condition that an uninvolvedstranger dies. The primary comparison concerns direct execution and mediated executionwhen the relevant consequences are held comparable. The case illustrates the possibility thatcomparable outcomes may be associated with different experiences of moral conflict, withoutimplying that mediated execution reduces actual causal or moral responsibility.CMJDT generalizes the decision set from two alternatives to any finite number of feasiblealternatives, while identifying single-option situations as boundary cases rather than genuinemulti-option dilemmas. It separates motivational attraction, perceived moral acceptability,experienced moral conflict, justification, responsibility, and final choice. It also proposes amathematical architecture combining multinomial choice modeling, candidate tension indices,interaction terms, and temporal feedback.The manuscript defines 27 architectural layers, organizes 30 supporting cases across sixresearch domains, specifies ten testable hypotheses, and provides a staged empirical validationprogram. The mathematical expressions are candidate formalizations rather than establishedlaws. No new empirical data are reported. The originality, construct validity, predictiveperformance, domain generality, and explanatory advantage of CMJDT therefore remain openresearch questions.Keywords: moral conflict; moral justification; contextual decision-making; multi-alternative choice;motivational pressure; psychological distance; causal responsibility; ethical decision-making; decisiontheory; moral psychology.