Now it’s Personal: The Psychology of Moral Attachment and the Implications for Society

Moral divisions are intensifying in many places around the globe, straining interpersonal relationships and destabilizing democracies. In light of these trends, there is an urgent need to understand the psychological factors that amplify polarization in society. This paper introduces the concept of Moral Attachment, defined as the degree to which individuals view their stances on important moral issues as central to their identity, characterized by inflexible, defensive, and dismissive attitudes toward opposing viewpoints. We developed and validated the Moral Attachment scale across four studies. In Study 1, we generated 32 items based on theory and conducted an exploratory factor analysis, identifying a three-factor structure: (1) certainty and inflexibility, (2) emotional defense, and (3) character judgment. Study 2 confirmed this structure through confirmatory factor analysis and demonstrated convergent and criterion validity. Study 3 assessed incremental validity, showing that Moral Attachment uniquely predicts polarizing responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict, above and beyond moral conviction and other important variables. Study 4 tested the scale's applicability across 44 countries, achieving metric measurement invariance and linking higher Moral Attachment scores to greater exposure to a range of threats at the country level. Our findings suggest that Moral Attachment may be a key psychological force driving polarization, offering a novel methodology for analyzing patterns across cultural and political landscapes. By understanding the nature and consequences of Moral Attachment, we provide insights into the deepening divisions that threaten social and political stability around the world.