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

This paper introduces the concept of Moral Attachment, defined as a rigid psychological bond to moral beliefs, in which disagreement is interpreted as a threat to the self. In turn, this leads to inflexibility, defensiveness, and dismissiveness when faced with moral opposition. We developed and validated the Moral Attachment scale through five studies. Study 1 used exploratory factor analysis to identify three dimensions: (1) certainty and inflexibility, (2) emotional defense, and (3) character judgment. Study 2 confirmed this structure via confirmatory factor analysis, further demonstrating convergent and criterion validity. Study 3 provided evidence for the short-term stability of Moral Attachment, indicating that the construct is relatively consistent over a two-week period. Study 4 tested incremental validity, revealing that Moral Attachment uniquely predicts polarizing responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict above and beyond moral conviction. Study 5 tested the scale’s measurement equivalence across 44 countries, achieving metric measurement invariance and linking higher Moral Attachment scores to greater societal instability at the country level. By understanding the nature and consequences of Moral Attachment, we provide an account of how moral beliefs become embedded within the self and contribute to enduring social division.