Militärens vett och etikett: Sambandet mellan etik, moral och välvillighet i det svenska försvaret

Sammanfattning: Research in military ethics has shown that military members demonstrate a more positive attitude towards unethical behavior in warzones, which can be attributed to their malevolent personality traits and moral foundations. This study investigated the relationship between military ethics, the personality trait agreeableness, and aspects of moral foundations. Utilizing the Big Five personality model, Moral Foundations Theory, and an assessment of unethical conduct in warzones, the hypothesis posited that the differences in military ethics could be explained by agreeableness and moral foundations. A matched group design was used in order to facilitate a comparative analysis between a Swedish sample of military members and a sample of Swedish civilians. Contrary to the hypothesis, the findings revealed that military personnel scored higher in ethics than their civilian counterparts, and that agreeableness was not a contributing factor. Furthermore, certain facets of moral standards could account for the differences in ethical conduct. The study sheds light on the nuanced relationship between military service and ethical behavior, challenges preconceptions and emphasizes the importance of empirical studies in understanding the multifaceted dimensions of military recruitment.