{"id":12000,"date":"2022-03-09T16:13:07","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T16:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/how-moral-injury-harms-personal-and-organizational-well-being\/"},"modified":"2022-11-02T05:08:43","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T09:08:43","slug":"how-moral-injury-harms-personal-and-organizational-well-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/how-moral-injury-harms-personal-and-organizational-well-being\/","title":{"rendered":"Wellness Lessons From Ancient Philosophers: How Moral Injury Harms Personal And Organizational Well-Being"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around 390 BCE, Plato\u2019s Socrates (i.e., the character Socrates used by Plato to explore his philosophical positions) proclaimed immoral actions are always bad for one\u2019s well-being and that the best life is the most just life.<\/p>\n

SOCRATES: For the heart of the matter is that of recognizing or failing to recognize who is happy and who is not. To take first the immediate question our present discussion\u2019s about: you believe that it\u2019s possible for a man who behaves unjustly and who is unjust to be happy, since you believe Archaelaus to be both unjust and happy. Are we to understand that this is precisely your view?<\/p>\n

POLUS: That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

SOCRATES: And I say that that\u2019s impossible.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Returning to the subject thousands of years later, scientists introduced the concept of \u201cmoral injury,\u201d which occurs when an individual participates in an event that violates their moral values or feels betrayed by a trusted authority. Confirming the speculations of ancient philosophers, a recent systematic review<\/a> found strong associations between moral distress and several adverse health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and substance use disorders. Researchers have also found that moral injury is associated with a variety of negative organizational outcomes (e.g.,\u00a0decreased engagement<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0increased turnover<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Initially studied in war veterans, moral injury occurs in a wide range of populations and professions (e.g., health care workers<\/a>, teachers<\/a>, and journalists<\/a>). In principle, employees in any industry where morality can conflict with organizational goals may experience moral distress, making it a potentially widespread problem that companies must prevent, identify, and treat.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Moral Injury And Burnout<\/h2>\n

According to Professor of Organizational Psychology, Ludmila Praslova, preliminary data suggests that \u201cthe experience of at least 25% of those reporting feeling burned out might be better explained by moral injury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though both workplace ailments result from job stress in a general sense, they differ in subtle but significant ways. When it comes to their causes, the obvious difference is that while burnout<\/a> is brought on by feeling overwhelmed by and disengaged with one\u2019s work, moral injury stems from the sense that one has directly or indirectly been involved in a workplace activity that violates their moral beliefs. In terms of their consequences, Praslova succinctly highlights one of the key differences, stating, \u201cmoral injury predominantly impacts the sense of trust and\/or self-respect, and burnout impacts one\u2019s sense of engagement and efficacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Horizontal<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

These differences suggest that moral injury cannot be effectively managed with the same tools used to mitigate the mental and physical symptoms of burnout. For example, mindfulness training, flexible work schedules, workload adjustments, and increased job autonomy are unlikely to help employees regain or prevent the loss of self-respect associated with moral distress. As a result, employers must be careful not to conflate the two conditions and to utilize different mitigation strategies for each.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Preventing And Treating Moral Injury<\/h2>\n

While research on successful strategies for mitigating moral injury is still in its early stages, a few common themes are beginning to emerge. Experts point to the following actions for preventing and treating moral injury.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Allow employees to voice their concerns:<\/strong> By letting employees talk openly about their moral reservations, organizations can prevent moral injury by avoiding organizational actions that conflict with the ethical considerations of their workforce. Additionally, if a moral injury has already occurred, providing employees a space to express this can help them heal and restore their view of the company\u2019s moral integrity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Admit fault and make amends:<\/strong>\u00a0Should a moral injury occur, it\u2019s crucial not to deflect responsibility or minimize the problem. Instead, recognize legitimate concerns and ask what can be done to make things better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Let employees participate in restorative processes:<\/strong>\u00a0When employees feel they have been involved in actions that have harmed their community, it\u2019s important to let them be participate in whatever restorative actions the company takes. As Praslova notes, this can \u201chelp these individuals to rebuild their sense of self-respect.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Provide psychological services:<\/strong> The feelings of shame and guilt that moral injury can provoke may be too much for an organization to address on its own. In some cases, employees may require the help of mental health professionals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Often confused with burnout, moral injury occurs when employees participate in events that violate their moral values or feel betrayed by a trusted authority. This workplace ailment can have devastating effects on personal and organizational well-being. Learn what experts say can be done to prevent and treat it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts-and-research","category-holistic-workplace-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWellness Lessons From Ancient Philosophers: How Moral Injury Harms Personal And Organizational Well-Being | Wellable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Often confused with burnout, moral injury occurs when employees participate in events that violate their moral values or feel betrayed by a trusted authority. This workplace ailment can have devastating effects on personal and organizational well-being. 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