The present article discusses moral disengagement as it is depicted in the social cognitive theory of Albert Bandura. The author´s view on this topic is presented primarily according to his articles and literary studies about moral disengagement are presented. The text is divided in five parts. Firstly, there is a contextualization of the subject within the production of Bandura. Next, moral disengagement and the social cognitive theory are portrayed. Subsequently, there is a description of the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement developed by Bandura: moral justification, advantageous comparison, euphemistic language, disregarding, minimizing or disputing harmful effects, dehumanization, attributions of blame, displacement of responsibility and diffusion of responsibility. Following the mechanisms, a presentation of the ten latest works of the author about the subject, produced between 2000 and 2009, takes place under these thematic categories: theoretical-empirical matters, penal execution, terrorism, ecology and corporate world. Ultimately, it displays the challenges emerged from the debate developed in the text, which may be useful for the process of construction of a more humanized society.
Social Cognitive Theory; Morality; Social psychology; Social learning
