Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 5, 2025
04:02
Author Spotlight: Developing Precise and Clinically Relevant Models for Studying Secondary Degeneration in Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
Published on: November 29, 2024
1.4K
Military moral injury: A concept analysis
Nikki Jamieson1, Myfanwy Maple1, Dorothy Ratnarajah1
1School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
|October 20, 2020
Summary
Moral injury, a violation of one's moral code, causes spiritual conflict and self-condemnation. This study defines moral injury as existential trauma in military members, enhancing understanding for practice and research.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Military Mental Health
Background:
- Moral injury involves breaching one's moral code, linked to veteran suicide.
- Core features include spiritual conflict, shame, guilt, and self-condemnation.
- Existing research often focuses on features or triggering events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance understanding of moral injury's attributes, antecedents, and consequences.
- To systematically analyze the concept of moral injury within military populations.
- To provide a renewed definition of moral injury for veterans.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Walker and Avant's concept analysis model.
- Conducted a comprehensive literature search across various sources.
- Applied concept analysis to explicate moral injury in existing literature.
Main Results:
- Identified defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences of moral injury.
- Compared the use of the term across disciplines and over time.
- Developed a renewed definition: 'moral trauma' as existential, psychological, emotional, or spiritual trauma from violating moral codes.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a refined definition of moral injury, termed 'moral trauma,' specifically for veterans.
- This enhanced understanding facilitates operationalization in education, practice, and research.
- The findings support improved interventions and support for military members experiencing moral injury.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
562
Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
562
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
36.5K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
36.5K
01:21Self-Awareness and Its Effects
174
Self-awareness is a psychological state in which the individual becomes the focal point of their attention. This inward focus transforms the self into an object of contemplation and assessment, influencing how individuals perceive their actions and their alignment with personal and societal standards.Triggers and Contexts for Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness can be activated by external stimuli that make individuals visually or audibly aware of themselves, such as mirrors, cameras, or recordings.
174
01:25Motivational Bias
241
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
241
01:27Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
308
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
308
01:20Traumatic Memory
401
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
401