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The Role of Self-Sacrifice in Moral Dilemmas

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  • Sonya Sachdeva
  • Rumen Iliev
  • Hamed Ekhtiari
  • Morteza Dehghani

Abstract

Centuries’ worth of cultural stories suggest that self-sacrifice may be a cornerstone of our moral concepts, yet this notion is largely absent from recent theories in moral psychology. For instance, in the footbridge version of the well-known trolley car problem the only way to save five people from a runaway trolley is to push a single man on the tracks. It is explicitly specified that the bystander cannot sacrifice himself because his weight is insufficient to stop the trolley. But imagine if this were not the case. Would people rather sacrifice themselves than push another? In Study 1, we find that people approve of self-sacrifice more than directly harming another person to achieve the same outcome. In Studies 2 and 3, we demonstrate that the effect is not broadly about sensitivity to self-cost, instead there is something unique about sacrificing the self. Important theoretical implications about agent-relativity and the role of causality in moral judgments are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonya Sachdeva & Rumen Iliev & Hamed Ekhtiari & Morteza Dehghani, 2015. "The Role of Self-Sacrifice in Moral Dilemmas," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-12, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0127409
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127409
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Scott Atran & Robert Axelrod & Richard Davis, 2007. "Sacred barriers to conflict resolution," Post-Print ijn_00505181, HAL.
    2. repec:cup:judgdm:v:6:y:2011:i:7:p:593-601 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Scott Atran, 2003. "Genesis of Suicide Terrorm (supporting online material)," Post-Print ijn_00000344, HAL.
    4. Scott Atran & Robert Axelrod, 2008. "Reframing Sacred Values," Post-Print ijn_00505185, HAL.
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    1. Ahmed Mohammed Sayed Mostafa & Paul A. Bottomley, 2020. "Self-Sacrificial Leadership and Employee Behaviours: An Examination of the Role of Organizational Social Capital," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(3), pages 641-652, January.
    2. José Manuel Sabucedo & Marcos Dono & Dmitry Grigoryev & Cristina Gómez-Román & Mónica Alzate, 2019. "Axiological-Identitary Collective Action Model (AICAM): A new integrative perspective in the analysis of protest," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(6), pages 1-17, June.

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