"Al Bandura is the most cited individual in the history of psychology for the depth, breadth and originality of his ideas and writings. Now with his ground-breaking new contribution,
Moral Disengagement, his reach extends not only to teachers and students but also to the general public --making them aware of everyday evils in many spheres of daily life that must be counteracted by mindful moral engagement."
— Phil Zimbardo, Ph.D. Author
, The Lucifer Effect; President, The Heroic Imagination Project
"The authoritative statement by the world’s most-cited living psychologist, laying out his influential theory. Plunge into these fascinating historical and modern case studies of moral disengagement—morality tales for all time, illuminated by the psychology of how people do harm to themselves and others."
— Susan T. Fiske, Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University
"Dr. Albert Bandura is one of the great behavioral scientists of our time. His superb contributions include a deep analysis of human morality, its fundamental importance and the complexity of its development."
— David A. Hamburg, MD, Visiting Scholar, American Association for the Advancement of Science; DeWitt Wallace Distinguished Scholar, Weill Cornell Medical College; President Emeritus, Carnegie Corporation of New York
"This fascinating book is a sad reminder of the ubiquity of moral disengagement; it is a much needed call to arms; and it is even a practical primer of how to engage with others in ways that recognize and build on our shared humanity. It helps us identify and resist what threatens to diminish each of us and reminds us that morality is less about the ends we seek to achieve and more about the means we use. "
— Thomas D. Cook, Joan and Serepta Harrison Professor of Ethics and Justice, Professor of Sociology, Psychology, Education, and Social Policy, Northwestern University; and Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC
"Banduras book is a breakthrough in ethics. It shows how moral disengagement works in business, politics and social life, and how these practices should be unmasked for ethical human functioning."
— Laszlo Zsolnai, Professor and Director, Business Ethics Center, Corvinus University of Budapest and President, European SPES Institute, Leuven
"Moral Disengagement holds the key for unlocking the greatest mystery at the root our biggest policy problems: why do moral people behave immorally? Compellingly written, Bandura draws on the best social science - much of it his own - to illuminate policy issues ranging from gun violence to climate change. It is, in short, must-reading for all."
— Jon D. Hanson, Alfred Smart Professor of Law and director of The Project on Law and Mind Sciences, Harvard Law School
"Timely and soaring above the plethora of psychological theorizing published today, Banduras work on
Moral Disengagement utilizes social cognitive theory to explain morality. This work should be essential reading for humanity. Sharp, insightful, and provocative, it provides comprehensive answers to dispel the myriad questions about how human beings can commit atrocious immoral acts and still live with themselves."
— Regan A. R. Gurung, Ph.D. Ben J. & Joyce Rosenberg Professor of Human Development & Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
"Overall: a powerful, disturbing read: with Banduras characteristic academic thoroughness, he reminds us of state-backed horrors, organizationally vouchsafed-arrogances and everyday exemplars of moral disengagement that are indicative of the dangerous behaviour of moral disengagers in high office. This book will change the way you think about your psychology and about the psychology of others; and how your moral compass affects (or fails to affect) your psychology, your politics, and your every-day decision-making."
— Brian Apter, Behaviour Change Advisory Group, British Psychological Society
"Banduras most recent book, written as he was nearing his 90th birthday, may prove to be among his most broadly and publicly influential. He seamlessly merges his encyclopedic grasp of relevant theory and data with an equally impressive mastery of countless historical and contemporary issues and anecdotes to illustrate his points. He has produced a timely and true psychological tour de force that addresses the scourge of modern times-organized, bureaucratized, institutionalized, and systematic violence; human degradation; and injustice in which large numbers of otherwise normal persons, perceiving themselves to be adhering consistently to a moral code, nonetheless engage in behavior that has disastrous consequences for the individual targets of their actions and for society in general.
Moral Disengagement is a "must" read. Bandura is unsparing in his accounts and unrelenting in the sheer number of examples and level of detail he provides in documenting the widespread and dangerous instances of moral disengagement at work. It is a kind of psychological (and, given the nature of the issue at hand, unavoidably political) call to action about the breadth, depth, and power of the corporate, governmental, and organizational systems that provide the means and mechanisms as well as the motivation to morally disengage us from our better selves."
—Craig W. Haney, University of Santa Cruz for PsycCRITIQUES
"One of the fascinating aspects about this book is that you as a reader get a feeling of empowerment. In fact, it is a real joy in taking part in Bandura’s thorough deconstruction of the various techniques of moral disengagement in each of the covered focus areas.I directly asked myself why I don’t see more of this in the news on television, newspapers or online. I was also very much impressed by the general scope of fields that are covered by this book. As such, I think this book is a must-read for all people working in media-related jobs such as journalists, politicians, publicists, and scientists."
— Dr. Carina Giesen, The Inquisitive Mind
"Bandura provides readers with an in-depth comprehensive explanation, albeit depressing, of the myriad ways people compromise their moral standards in the moral predicaments that they face in their everyday life while continuing to retain a positive view of themselves.
Among the solutions that Bandura offers are: (1) Unfettered access to a free-press that exposes detrimental policies and practices. But, he warns that social media is equally effective at mobilizing support for harmful purposes as it is humane ones. Today, in the U.S., people can easily find a television news channel to support whatever bias they hold.
(2) Self-exonerative strategies must be exposed for what they are and made widely known.
(3) Negative consequences must be tied to individual wrongdoers rather than allowing them to hide behind faceless bureaucracies.
(4) Public surveillance is to the encouraged (e.g., smartphone cameras upload harmful institutional practices to the Internet for world-wide viewing).
(5) The public must become well versed in the various modes of moral disengagement, especially in regard to them seeing through sanitized language.
Bandura concludes his book with a note of optimism: “One of the most striking findings of research on the suspension of morality is the extraordinary power of humanization to curb inhumane practices. Whether on the battlefield, in vengeful social relationships, or in the laboratory, people cannot persuade themselves to behave cruelly to humanized others despite strong social pressure to do so” (p446).
This book is a “must read” by people in every walk of life."
—Gary Latham, Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Behaviour, Rotman School of Management; University of Toronto
"Albert Bandura is the doyen of the psychology profession. His new book on moral disengagement can be considered a breakthrough in moral psychology and ethics. It shows how the psychological mechanisms of moral
disengagement work in business, politics and social life, and how these practices have implications for ethical conduct. Bandura extensively documents how various mechanisms are at work in major spheres of life in
the USA and beyond: gun manufacturers, the entertainment industry, tobacco companies, finance and banking, terrorism, climate science and more. The large body of evidence presented by Bandura has important implications for the naive belief that the market will provide sufficient incentives to encourage morally responsible conduct. Bandura ends his book with dramatic words, saying * To function humanely, societies must establish social
systems that uphold compassion and curb cruelty. Regardless of whether social practices are carried out individually, organizationally, or institutionally, it should be made difficult for people to delete humanity
from their actions.*”
— Laszlo Zsolnai, Business Ethics Quarterly, Volume 26, Issue 3, July 2016, pp. 426-429
"This fascinating book is a sad reminder of the ubiquity of moral disengagement; it is a much needed call to arms; and it is even a practical primer of how to engage with others in ways that recognize and build on our shared humanity. It helps us identify and resist what threatens to diminish each of us and reminds us that morality is less about the ends we seek to achieve and more about the means we use. "
—Thomas D. Cook, Joan and Serepta Harrison Professor of Ethics and Justice, Professor of Sociology, Psychology, Education, and Social Policy, Northwestern University; and Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC
"Banduras book is a breakthrough in ethics. It shows how moral disengagement works in business, politics and social life, and how these practices should be unmasked for ethical human functioning."
—Laszlo Zsolnai, Professor and Director, Business Ethics Center, Corvinus University of Budapest and President, European SPES Institute, Leuven
"Moral Disengagement holds the key for unlocking the greatest mystery at the root our biggest policy problems: why do moral people behave immorally? Compellingly written, Bandura draws on the best social science - much of it his own - to illuminate policy issues ranging from gun violence to climate change. It is, in short, must-reading for all."
—Jon D. Hanson, Alfred Smart Professor of Law and director of The Project on Law and Mind Sciences, Harvard Law School
"Timely and soaring above the plethora of psychological theorizing published today, Banduras work on Moral Disengagement utilizes social cognitive theory to explain morality. This work should be essential reading for humanity. Sharp, insightful, and provocative, it provides comprehensive answers to dispel the myriad questions about how human beings can commit atrocious immoral acts and still live with themselves."
— Regan A. R. Gurung, Ph.D. Ben J. & Joyce Rosenberg Professor of Human Development & Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
