An Integration of Constructs that Account for Moral Actions: Moral Foundations, Values and Character Strengths

Morality has been described as a psychological system comprising sets of values, practices, institutions, and psychological mechanisms that work together to support moral/socially positive behavior. Nonetheless, there have been relatively few efforts to integrate these diverse constructs to provide a more holistic understanding of moral functioning. We address this limitation using data from two samples who completed measures of moral concerns (Moral Foundations Theory), value orientations (Schwartz Value Theory), and character strengths (VIA Framework). First, we used principal components analysis to summarize the complex patterns of association among these variables. We then sought to understand the extent to which variables loading on the same extracted components showed extrinsic convergent validity. Finally, we tested incremental validity of the three sets of variables. In both samples, variance among variables was explained by four components that were suggestive of higher-order domains of human functioning relevant to understanding variability in moral action: Universal Caring, Self-Expansion, Preservation, and Self-Control. Three of the components revealed ‘blind spots’ for at least one of the tested frameworks. However, the observed patterns of association with external variables (empathy, moral identity, HEXACO traits) indicated moral foundations, values, and character strengths remain distinct constructs, despite being systematically related.