How Integral is This Thinking?

 Dear Integral Life Members:

  Here is an extract from an MSNBC.com article by Rachael Rettner on 4-13-10 entitled “5 Key ‘Moral Triggers’ Polarize Politics”.  This article says that Democrats only care about 2 of the 5 “morality factors”, but Republicans care about all five.  However, it appears that they are neglecting developmental levels higher than “traditional” since it implies that if a person has non-traditional values, then automatically they don’t have the last 3 “moral triggers” and thus are not Loyal, don’t respect Authority, and don’t view their bodies as Sacred.  What do you think?  Please see below.

“Jonathan Haidt of the University of Virginia and his colleagues have pinned down five basic "moral triggers," or the factors people use to judge right from wrong and that have evolved in human societies. Different cultures and even individuals place more emphasis on certain triggers compared with others.

In a broad sense, they boil down to:

·  Harm/care: People are sensitive to suffering and have negative feelings toward those who are harmful and cruel. They value kindness and compassion.

·  Fairness/reciprocity: A history of cooperation means humans have evolved a sense of fairness and reciprocity, leading to altruistic actions.   

·  Ingroup/loyalty: People place moral value on those who do what's good for the group; are loyal to the group; and dislike disloyal members.

·  Authority/respect: Humans tend to respect authority and tradition.

·  Purity/sanctity: The idea that we view our bodies as sacred. This idea ties into religious views about the body and human actions.

Studies have shown that liberals tend to care only about harm and fairness when considering whether something is moral or not, said Peter Ditto, a professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California, Irvine, who is involved with Haidt's research. In contrast, conservatives have a more traditional moral structure, and tend to care about all five morality factors, he said.

"So that's where a lot of the problems come in, is that the things that really bother conservatives don’t bother liberals very much," Ditto said. "And the two groups don't understand each other's morality very well."

Take gay marriage, for example: "From a liberal standpoint, gay marriage isn't a problem, it doesn’t harm anybody, and it's only fair that gay people be allowed to be married just like straight people can," Ditto said.

But for conservatives, gay marriage goes against the traditional idea of marriage, and so presents a real moral problem, Ditto explained.”

Here’s something from the professor’s Home Page that might clarify his perspective:

...the second rule of moral psychology is that morality is not just about how we treat each other (as most liberals think); it is also about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions, and living in a sanctified and noble way. When Republicans say that Democrats "just don't get it," this is the "it" to which they refer.

(Photo of Author was in this space, it did not transfer, below is the title of his article)

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE VOTE REPUBLICAN? [9.9.08]
By Jonathan Haidt