title: Is moral elevation an approach-oriented emotion?
abstract: Two studies were designed to test whether moral elevation should be conceptualized as an approach-oriented emotion. The studies examined the relationship between moral elevation and the behavioral activation and inhibition systems. Study 1 (N= 80) showed that individual differences in moral elevation were associated with individual differences in behavioral activation but not inhibition. Study 2 (N= 78) showed that an elevation-inducing video promoted equally high levels of approach orientation as an anger-inducing video and significantly higher levels of approach orientation than a control video. Furthermore, the elevation-inducing stimulus (vs. the control condition) significantly promoted prosocial motivation and this effect was sequentially mediated by feelings of moral elevation followed by an approach-oriented state. Overall the results show unambiguous support for the proposal that moral elevation is an approach-oriented emotion. Applied and theoretical implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Group Processes, School of Psychology, University of Kent , Canterbury , UK.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van de Vyver
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Group Processes, School of Psychology, University of Kent , Canterbury , UK.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abrams
keywords: Affect; altruism; approach; moral beauty; moral elevation; motivation