Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2025

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
A challenge to identity: Identity processing style and moral injury
Kari E James1, Blake M McKimmie1, Fiona Maccallum1
1School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Abstract:
Moral injury is a potentially deleterious mental health outcome that can result from exposure to morally challenging events. Treatment of moral injury is currently hindered by incomplete understanding of its underlying mechanisms. Theories of adaptation posit that maintaining a coherent sense of self while realigning one's sense of self with reality aids in adaptation following a disruptive life event. Differences in identity processing style are thought to impact the extent to which an individual engages with the challenges of maintaining a coherent sense of self following identity-related challenges. However, little is known about how identity processing style relates to moral injury event-related distress. This study sought to investigate a hypothesized relationship between identity processing style and event-related distress as well as alternative outcomes including traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. Adults (N = 167) who had been exposed to a potentially morally injurious event were recruited online and completed validated measures of event-related distress, traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and identity processing style. There were significant positive associations between diffuse-avoidant processing and all mental health outcomes, no significant associations between informational processing and any mental health outcomes, and significant negative associations between normative processing and event-related distress and depression.
More Related Videos
06:42Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
05:51Exploring the Use of Isolated Expressions and Film Clips to Evaluate Emotion Recognition by People with Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: May 15, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
Marcia's Theory of Identity Status
Cognitive Dissonance
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture