Moral Disengagement in Counseling Psychologists in Situations of Professional Interaction with Clients

Abstract

The focus of this research is moral disengagement as an internal mechanism of unethical behavior. In this work, it was studied in the context of the psychological counseling of Russian psychologists, in particular, in situations of professional interaction that can bring a potential threat to professional and personal identity. Moral disengagement serves to protect one’s self-concept and cope with unpleasant emotions. The study sample consisted of 200 people. Online survey and in-depth semi-structured interview methods were used to collect data. Results indicated a significant relationship between moral disengagement and empathy, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and psychological mindedness. Cluster analysis allowed to identify four profiles of respondents with different combinations of moral disengagement and personality factors. Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with respondents from the selected groups made it possible to describe in detail of moral disengagement in situations of professional interaction among psychologists from the selected groups. Namely, factors accompanying high rates of moral disengagement were identified: lack of emphasis on the benefits of counseling for the client, self-accusation of the psychologist, the psychologist’s experience of professional failure, stigmatization of the client by the psychologist, confrontation with the client perceived by the psychologist, strong emotions of guilt, resentment and anger, difficulties with management of emotional states, self-defense motive, behavior associated with the risks of exploitation and harm to clients. This study not only deepens the understanding of the phenomenology of moral disengagement, but can also help reduce the risks of exploitation and harm to clients by increasing the awareness of psychologists regarding the operation of moral disengagement in situations of professional interaction.