Abstract

Aggression is a major social and public health concern with economic, psychological, and interpersonal implications. Extensive research has examined the potential antecedents for aggressive behavior, with many different environmental, biological, and intrapsychic factors being significantly associated with aggression. Researchers have also focused on cognitive mechanisms, like empathy, as a protective factor for aggression. More specifically, research has linked lower levels of empathy to higher levels of aggression; however, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain underexplored. A potential explanatory mechanism is moral disengagement, which allows individuals to justify harmful behaviors and avoid self-sanctions. However, limited research has examined these constructs together. The current study examined the relationship between moral disengagement, specific facets of empathy, and functions of aggression by conducting multiple mediation models. Given that previous research has emphasized the significant influence of biological sex on aggressive behavior, sensitivity analyses were also conducted with biological sex to assess the effect of sex on each mediation model. Participants (N=367) included young adults ages 18 to 25 recruited via a research participant pool, an online recruitment platform, social media, and community advertisements. No indirect effects were found for each mediation model. These indirect effects retained insignificance once biological sex was included as a covariate in the subsequent sensitivity analyses. These results suggest that moral disengagement may not operate as an intermediary between the subtypes of empathy and aggression, and sex may not play a substantial role within the context of these models specifically.

Publication Date

7-28-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Experimental Psychology (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Psychology, Department of

College

College of Liberal Arts

Advisor

Rebecca Houston

Advisor/Committee Member

Stephanie Godleski

Advisor/Committee Member

Dustin Haraden

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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