Moral injury is the damage done to an individuals moral conscience and values resulting from an act of perceived moral transgression on the part of themselves or others. It produces profound feelings of guilt or shame, moral disorientation, and distressing psychological, behavioral, social, and sometimes spiritual aftermath of exposure to such events. Moral injury can occur in response to acting or witnessing behaviors that go against an individual's values and moral beliefs. It can occur in reaction to a traumatic event in which deeply held morals or values are violated, leading to feelings such as guilt, shame, betrayal, and anger. Although most research has been conducted on military veterans, moral injury can occur outside of the military context. The concept of moral injury emphasizes the psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of trauma.
Moral injury is most often studied in the context of military personnel, particularly regarding the experience of war. It refers to the lasting emotional, psychological, social, behavioral, and spiritual impacts of actions that violate a service member’s core moral values and behavioral expectations of self or others. Moral injury almost always pivots with the dimension of time. It can also occur in frontline health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic who have had to deal with extremely stressful situations in which they were unable to provide care at a level that they considered appropriate, to people involved in accidents, and to people who have been raped or abused.
Professional help is recommended for individuals experiencing moral injury symptoms, as it can lead to PTSD, depression, and other disorders. There are many different ways to gain control over moral injury, including exploring options and asking for help from professionals.
