Expanding circle morality: Believing that all life matters.

Abstract

This dissertation explored the concept of extending moral concern to all life from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. In the theoretical chapter, I defined expanding circle morality (ECM) as a dynamic lifelong sustainable commitment to expand our circle of caring to include all sentient beings as a core guiding principle in life and reviewed the existing psychological literature that addressed this concept. Next, in three datasets I identified proxy measures for ECM and tested the hypothesis that higher levels of ECM are associated with higher levels of individual well-being and greater concern for others than lower levels of ECM. In addition, I tested the hypothesis that individuals volunteering frequently would have greater well-being when they had high, but not low, levels of ECM. Finally, in an experimental study, I tested the hypothesis that loving-kindness meditation (i.e., a spiritual practice to broaden one's circle of caring) would reduce judgment of moral transgressors especially when those individuals were exposed to death awareness as described by Terror Management Theory. Data for the first three studies were drawn from two large longitudinal studies of child and adolescent development and one longitudinal study of adult women. ANOVA analyses largely supported the predictions. Proxy measures of ECM included spiritual importance, an implicit measure of social and civic concern and a measure of social responsibility motivation. Higher scores on each of these three measures were associated with better individual well-being as well as greater concern for the well-being of others. In addition, individuals with higher levels of ECM reported greater well-being when volunteering frequently than individuals with low levels of ECM. In the final experimental study, loving-kindness meditation participants reported more positive emotion, and specifically more compassion, than partipcants in the control condition (i.e., a progressive relaxation exercise). Although the means trended in the predicted direction, participants in the loving-kindness and death salience condition did not judge moral transgressors less harshly. The possibility that increased compassion does not necessarily result in increased tolerance of behaviors that harm others is discussed. In sum, ECM is associated with individual well-being and the well-being of an expanded circle of others.