Moral Disengagement Mechanisms and Personality Dimensions Implicit to Homophobia

Recent advances in sexual equality and diversity have not been able to mitigate the serious problem of discrimination suffered by sexual minorities. The most serious cases involve violence and physical or psychological aggression towards sexual orientations that differ from the heterosexual norm. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-07, Vol.19 (14), p.8583
Main Authors: González-Fuentes, José Antonio, Moreno-Manso, Juan Manuel, Guerrero-Molina, Mónica, Guerrero-Barona, Eloísa, García-Baamonde, María Elena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Aggressiveness
Attitudes
Discrimination
Gays & lesbians
Homophobia
Homosexuality
Hypotheses
Personality
Sexual orientation
Students
Young adults
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Summary:Recent advances in sexual equality and diversity have not been able to mitigate the serious problem of discrimination suffered by sexual minorities. The most serious cases involve violence and physical or psychological aggression towards sexual orientations that differ from the heterosexual norm. This research analyses the dimensions of the personality and the moral disengagement mechanisms related to homophobia and the predictive value they have for hostile attitudes towards sexual diversity. The sample was made up of 849 university students between 18 and 24 years of age. The instruments used were the Modern Homophobia Scale (MHS), the Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Scale (MMDS), and the reduced version of the Neo Personality Inventory—Reduced Version (NEO-FFI). The results show the involvement of moral disengagement in homophobia. It highlights evidence of subtle intimidatory behaviour patterns of rejection towards homosexuality. Furthermore, the low levels in the dimensions of a friendly personality and openness to experiences can be seen to predict homophobic behaviour. Thus, young people fall back on diverse mechanisms of moral disengagement to justify harmful attitudes towards the LGTBI collective. The results of the research are particularly relevant and useful for setting up programmes aimed at preventing and mitigating this serious problem of sexual discrimination.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph19148583