Luppo Kuillman

Chapter 1 16 DIT and the N2 Index. The N2 index is an indicator of moral reasoning and has a two-part construction. The first part reflects the degree to which post-conventional arguments are prioritized in solving the moral dilemmas presented. This part of the N2 index resembles both the traditional P index (calculated solely based on ranking data) and rating data reflecting the degree to which higher-stage arguments are rated higher than the ratings of lower-stage arguments by subtracting lower-stage reasoning scale scores from the ratings on higher-stage reasoning scale scores. After standardizing the scores of the second part in such a way that both parts show the same mean and standard deviation, the N2 score is computed by adding the resulting scores of the two parts. For calculating the N2 index, we followed the explanation as reported by Rest and colleagues, both in their article and a purchased manual (J. R. Rest, 1990; J. Rest, Thoma, Narvaez, & Bebeau, 1997a). 1.3.3 Conceptualization and operationalization of Moral Motivation Moral motivation is the third component of the FCM. Simply put, moral motivation stands for the ability of giving importance to competing choices. A deficiency in moral motivation could be for example favouring to see and treat patients who will generate higher revenues, whereas the other patients having problems with less favorable incentives also need care. So instead of making the moral choice of treating all patients regardless of whether they will generate more revenue, going for ultimately the lucrative cases is a lapse in moral motivation. With the suggestion that ‘identity’ is a source of moral motivation, it is assumed that once morality is crucial and pivotal to the self-sense and identity, it elevates the sense of responsibility and obligation to act consistently with the own moral concerns (Hardy & Carlo, 2005). It was the moral motivation component that led Aquino and Reed to conceptualize their understanding of ‘moral identity’ and defined it as: “a self-conception organized around a set of moral traits.” Moral identity is considered not to be antithetical to the cognitive developmental model but rather complementary in identifying a social psychological motivator of moral conduct. Herewith it is appropriate to assume that moral identity serves as a precursor towards moral action. Aquino and Reed distinguish two separate factors of moral identity, namely: i) internalization and ii) symbolization, which are measured by the Moral Identity Measure (MIM) (Aquino & Reed II, 2002). The factor of internalization entails the degree to which moral principles are linked to an individual’s self-concept and the factor of symbolization is especially focused on how the individual likes to be perceived publicly for her/his moral self.