Resumo

NEVES, Lude Marieta Gonçalves dos Santos; IGLESIAS, Fabio; WISNIEWSKI, Matheus  e  OLIVEIRA, Karen Kathleen Amorim. The psychology of public service transgressions: Analyzing moral disengagement in interrogations. Estud. psicol. (Natal) [online]. 2023, vol.28, n.3, pp.288-299.  Epub 28-Mar-2025. ISSN 1413-294X.  https://doi.org/10.69909/1678-4669.20230026.

Monitoring workers' moral conduct is crucial for providing good services, but public servants are under even greater scrutiny. This paper examined mechanisms of moral disengagement (MDM) used as defences in disciplinary proceedings. Content analysis of 26 interrogations (with 410 verbalizations) revealed six of the eight MDM described in the theory, plus four emerging categories. Denials (through arguments of forgetfulness or ignorance of the denounced facts) were the most evident, followed by Diffusion of Responsibility, Moral Justification, and Displacement of Responsibility. Results show the difficulty of public servants in taking accountability for their actions while even distorting them conveniently. We discuss ways to improve disciplinary investigation processes and to prevent the psychological justification of unethical behavior in the Brazilian public service.

Palavras-chave : public servants; moral disengagement; disciplinary violations; content analysis.

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