Multiple sclerosis patients must not only address their unpleasant symptoms, they are also subject to unpredictable relapses, a condition that causes stress, say researchers. This condition has consequences for the 'moral cognition' of patients, who become particularly intransigent in moral judgments. This 'moral inflexibility' results from cognitive styles adopted to overcome the inconveniences of the disease.
Surprisingly, in MS patients, Patil and colleagues were expecting a greater tendency for forgiveness, because of difficulty with Theory of mind that has been described in some of these patients, as well as a decrease in empathic response. "The results, however, were surprising: subjects' answers were more severe than average in all conditions. They also proved overly confident about the validity of their own judgment, much more so than in healthy subjects, declaring they were sure that anyone would respond as they did."
Put simply, during the experiments, the MS patients tended to attribute their negative emotions to what they read in the dilemma. Whether the consequences were the result of an accident as in the manslaughter situation, or bad intentions as in the attempted murder, mattered little. "The patient believed that these situations led to the negative affect they felt and therefore judged the third-party actors more severely. This explains why we observed more harsh judgments even in neutral conditions where there was neither bad intent nor outcome," says Patil.
"Knowing that MS patients tend to adopt this cognitive strategy, along with their nearly constant state of emotional stress, is important," he concludes. "On one hand, it helps healthcare providers working with them to objectively read their behavior, and improve interpersonal relationships, which are vital in this type of care. On the other hand, knowing this 'dark' side can also help us develop cognitive/behavioral treatment for helping patients improve their emotional response."
Full article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0428103019.htm
Surprisingly, in MS patients, Patil and colleagues were expecting a greater tendency for forgiveness, because of difficulty with Theory of mind that has been described in some of these patients, as well as a decrease in empathic response. "The results, however, were surprising: subjects' answers were more severe than average in all conditions. They also proved overly confident about the validity of their own judgment, much more so than in healthy subjects, declaring they were sure that anyone would respond as they did."
Put simply, during the experiments, the MS patients tended to attribute their negative emotions to what they read in the dilemma. Whether the consequences were the result of an accident as in the manslaughter situation, or bad intentions as in the attempted murder, mattered little. "The patient believed that these situations led to the negative affect they felt and therefore judged the third-party actors more severely. This explains why we observed more harsh judgments even in neutral conditions where there was neither bad intent nor outcome," says Patil.
"Knowing that MS patients tend to adopt this cognitive strategy, along with their nearly constant state of emotional stress, is important," he concludes. "On one hand, it helps healthcare providers working with them to objectively read their behavior, and improve interpersonal relationships, which are vital in this type of care. On the other hand, knowing this 'dark' side can also help us develop cognitive/behavioral treatment for helping patients improve their emotional response."
Full article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0428103019.htm
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