Abstract
Many of the most widely-used, empirically-supported treatments for mental health problems are comprised of some form of cognitive restructuring techniques that aim to replace clients’ pathological or distorted attributional processes with new, healthy appraisals of the situation or self. Yet, conventional cognitive restructuring techniques may be less effective when attempting to treat guilt and shame associated with distress that arises when someone commits a moral transgression. Accidental or intentional perpetration can cause “moral injury” to the guilty party, yet few therapeutic strategies have been developed to treat difficulties emanating from accurate self-blame appraisals. A working model for conceptualizing the emotional and behavioral consequences of committing a moral transgression is presented that utilizes characterological versus behavioral self-blame appraisals and guilt and shame as mediating variables that determine the ensuing psychological response after committing an act of perpetration. A critical review of the limited literature available on the psychological correlates of accidental and intentional perpetration is reviewed to provide initial support for the paper’s working model. Emotional exposure to the feelings of guilt and shame, modification of characterological self-blame appraisals, and behavioral reparations that facilitate forgiveness from self and others are argued to be the most effective strategies for treating moral injury.
Keywords: Cognitive appraisal, guilt, moral injury, moral transgression, self-blame, shame, treatment.
Graphical Abstract
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