Relationship between Personality Disorder and Moral Judgment Considering the Moderating Role of Empathy: Application of Eye-Tracking Tasks

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between individuals' moral judgment and their personality and disorder, and the role of empathy as a moderating component. The statistical population of this study includes all individuals aged 18 to 36 years and with at least a bachelor's degree. In the present study, after administering the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) to eligible volunteers, 40 subjects (12 males and 28 females) were purposively selected into two groups, normal and personality disorders. All subjects then answered the Defining Issues Test (DIT) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). An eye tracking tool was also used in this study to measure empathy. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model in SPSS software. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between personality disorder and moral judgment (p = 0.03), but empathy as a moderator was not significant in this regard. Competitive examination of two empathy measures was not significant in the present study. The results suggest that personality disorders reduce individuals' moral judgment. The present study is a first step in the application of the new eye-tracker technology in the study of psychological structures.

Keywords

• moral judgment
• personality disorder
• empathy
• eye-tracker