Situational and person-specific determinants of perceiving situations as calling for moral courage
The starting point for intervening as an act of moral courage lies in the perception and assessment of relevant situations. The perception that a norm has been infringed and the perception of the risk involved in intervening are central determinants of moral courage. Whereas there has been a great deal of research into the situational influences, the determinants on the level of the persons involved have so far received little attention. This project therefore pays special attention to the person-specific determinants of the perception of situations calling for moral courage. A vignette study is investigating the influence of value orientation, social responsibility and fundamental personality dimensions. In a follow-up study, the perception of situations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands is being compared, as well as the influence of further personality variables (action/situation orientation, chronic approach/avoidance orientation). The results emphasise the importance of personal characteristics for the perception of situations requiring moral courage and thus augment the currently prevailing perspective in moral courage research, which has focused on situational influences.