Global warming, environmental destruction, war, racism, violence, murder, harassment, and bullying… Why do human beings continue to cause such a multitude of problems? Underneath superficial differences, there appears to be a common psychological mechanism operating, which releases the inhibitions that stop ordinary people from committing these destruct ive acts. Whether intentional or unintentional, behind these problems, there always seems to be a moral disengagement that is only made possible by compartmentalization (CP) and typically accompanied by dehumanization (DH) as well. This paper clarifies the mechanisms of CP and DH. In addition, it also suggests possible solutions to these problems by modifying the fatal habitual attitude into which individuals tend to lapse when faced with inconvenient and/or uncomfortable situations.
阿部 et al. (Wed,) studied this question.