The Paradox of Flourishing and Moral Disengagement: A Study of Religious-Identified Cyberbullying Perpetrators
Keywords:
Keywords: Cyberbullying, Theological Justification, Moral Disengagement, PseudoFlourishing, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Abstract
The phenomenon of cyberbullying on social media frequently presents a paradox when perpetrated by individuals with a religious identity. Perpetrators often reduce and employ the theological principle of "Amar Ma'ruf Nahi Munkar" (enjoining good and forbidding evil) as a shield to justify verbal aggression. This study aims to explore in-depth the meaning construction and psychological structure of consciousness among perpetrators in vindicating their actions, as well as how they define the boundary between advising and bullying. Utilizing a qualitative method with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, data were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews with five young adult participants who actively utilized religious arguments when posting aggressive comments on social media. The phenomenological analysis identified four superordinate themes: (1) the reduction of the concept of advice into verbal aggression, (2) the theological justification as a mechanism of moral disengagement, (3) the illusion of moral boundaries creating double standards through the rationalization of shock therapy, and (4) the pursuit of internal social validation that engenders a state of pseudo-flourishing. The findings conclude that religiously cloaked cyber-aggression operates primarily as a cognitive strategy to reduce internal dissonance and evade moral responsibility, rather than manifesting a genuine depth of religiosity. This study recommends the necessity of digital literacy interventions that focus on emotional regulation, cognitive empathy, and the restoration of an authentic flourishing paradigm.
References
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Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Trolls just want to have fun. Personality and Individual Differences, 67, 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.016
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Gini, G., Pozzoli, T., & Hymel, S. (2014). Moral disengagement among children and youth: A meta-analytic review of its relation to aggressive behavior. Aggressive Behavior, 40(1), 56–68. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21502
Hardy, S. A., Zhang, Z., Skalski, J. E., Melling, B. S., & Brinton, C. T. (2019). Religiosity and prosocial behavior digital contexts: The mediating role of moral identity. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 11(4), 382–391. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000219
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Loosier, P. S. (2015). Cyber-aggression and the internet paradox: Connection vs alienation. Journal of Adolescence, 42, 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.03.011
Mete, I., & Sener, E. (2023). Examination of the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration, moral disengagement, and digital toxicity in young adults. Current Psychology, 42(15), 12678–12689. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02553-w
Moor, L., & Anderson, J. R. (2019). A systematic review of online toxicity and cyberbullying perpetration on anonymous social media platforms. Computers in Human Behavior, 97, 131–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.03.014
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Pargament, K. I., Smith, B. W., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. (1998). Patterns of positive and negative religious coping with major life stressors. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 37(4), 710–724. https://doi.org/10.2307/1388152
Pornari, C. D., & Wood, J. (2010). Peer and cyber aggression in secondary school students: The role of moral disengagement, hostile attribution bias, and outcome expectancies. Aggressive Behavior, 36(2), 81–94. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20336
Runions, K. C., Bak, M., & Shaw, T. (2019). Disengaged from the screen: Cyberbullying, moral disengagement, and sanctimonious justification in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(10), 2030–2043. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01103-6
Sari, T. P., & Shazadi, H. (2021). The role of religiosity and moral disengagement in cyberbullying behavior among social media users. Journal of Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 9(2), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.1017/jcb.2021.00412
Shamir-Alyagon, A., & Greenbaum, C. W. (2021). Cyberbullying, moral disengagement, and empathy in a religious vs secular educational context. Journal of Moral Education, 50(3), 341–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2020.1743321
Slonje, R., Smith, P. K., & Frisén, A. (2013). The nature of cyberbullying, and strategies for prevention. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(1), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.05.024
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2022). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. Suler, J. (2016). Psychology of the digital age: Humans become electric. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316424070
Tanrikulu, I., & Campbell, M. (2015). Correlates of cyberbullying perpetration: The role of moral disengagement, ruminate mentoring, and gender. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(9), 2753–2762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0078-4
Taufik, T. (2020). Religious fundamentalism and cyber-aggression: The role of cognitive flexibility. Indonesian Journal of Sinta Studies, 12(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.22146/ijss.v12i1.54321
Valera, B., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2022). Longitudinal relations between moral disengagement and cyberbullying in young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 131, 107212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107212
Vandebosch, H., & Van Cleemput, K. (2009). Cyberbullying among youngsters: Profiles of perpetrators and victims. New Media & Society, 11(8), 1349–1371. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444809341263
Wachs, S., Wright, M. F., & Mahl, D. (2021). The relation between cyberbullying perpetration, moral disengagement, and online hate speech. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(19-20), NP10342–NP10365. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519888531
Wang, X., Yang, L., Yang, J., Wang, P., & Lei, L. (2017). Trait anger and cyberbullying among young adults: A moderated mediation model of moral disengagement and moral identity. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 519–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.04.017
Widiantoro, F. W. (2026). Psikologi Flourishing: Dinamika kesehatan mental positif. Deepublish.
Willard, N. E. (2007). Cyberbullying and cyberthreats: Responding to the challenge of online social aggression, threats, and distress. Research Press.
Wolfe, S. E., & Lawson, S. G. (2020). Spiritual bypassing and moral exoneration in online spaces. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 14(3), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2020-3-4
Wright, M. F. (2014). Cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation among adolescents: A one-year longitudinal study of the role of moral disengagement. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 24(2), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2014.15
Yang, J., Wang, X., & Lei, L. (2020). Moral disengagement and cyberbullying perpetration: The moderating role of digital empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1422. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01422
Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: A comparison of associated youth characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(7), 1308–1316. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00316.x
Yudha, A., & Arismunandar, M. (2022). Cyber-anonymity, online toxicity, and moral detachment in Indonesian netizens. Jurnal Psikologi Sosial, 20(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.7454/jps.v20i2.22110
Zekonyte, A., & Campbell, M. (2022). Dehumanisation and the online environment: A psychological analysis of cyber-trolling and aggressive behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 6, 100185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100185
Zych, I., Baldry, A. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2019). School bullying and cyberbullying: A systematic review of moral disengagement and empathetic processes. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 44, 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.11.008
Allison, K. R., & Bussey, K. (2017). Cyber-bystandery: Moral disengagement, moral approbation, and cyberbullying. Journal of School Violence, 16(3), 263–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2015.1133311
Bandura, A. (2016). Moral disengagement: How people do harm and live with themselves. Worth Publishers.
Barlett, C. P., Simmers, M. M., Roth, B., & Heath, J. (2021). From the computer screen to the streets: A evolutionary perspective on cyberbullying perpetrators and moral justification. Computers in Human Behavior, 114, 106579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106579
Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, cybervictimization, and the Dark Triad personality traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 79, 175–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.013
Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Trolls just want to have fun. Personality and Individual Differences, 67, 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.016
Campbell, M., & Bauman, S. (2018). Cyberbullying: Definition, consequences, and an overview of research in psychological contexts. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 21(4), 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-018-0268-3
Doane, A. N., Pearson, M. R., & Kelley, M. L. (2014). Predictors of cyberbullying perpetration among college students: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.03.051
Emmons, R. A. (2000). Is spirituality an intelligence? Motivation, cognition, and the psychology of ultimate concern. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 10(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327582IJPR1001_2
Gini, G., Pozzoli, T., & Hymel, S. (2014). Moral disengagement among children and youth: A meta-analytic review of its relation to aggressive behavior. Aggressive Behavior, 40(1), 56–68. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21502
Hardy, S. A., Zhang, Z., Skalski, J. E., Melling, B. S., & Brinton, C. T. (2019). Religiosity and prosocial behavior digital contexts: The mediating role of moral identity. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 11(4), 382–391. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000219
Hood, R. W., Hill, P. C., & Spilka, B. (2018). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach (5th ed.). The Guilford Press.
Kowalski, R. M., Limber, S. P., & McCord, A. (2019). A developmental perspective on cyberbullying: History, theory, and intervention. School Psychology International, 40(4), 323–342. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034319844018
Loosier, P. S. (2015). Cyber-aggression and the internet paradox: Connection vs alienation. Journal of Adolescence, 42, 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.03.011
Mete, I., & Sener, E. (2023). Examination of the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration, moral disengagement, and digital toxicity in young adults. Current Psychology, 42(15), 12678–12689. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02553-w
Moor, L., & Anderson, J. R. (2019). A systematic review of online toxicity and cyberbullying perpetration on anonymous social media platforms. Computers in Human Behavior, 97, 131–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.03.014
Pargament, K. I., & Abu-Raiya, H. (2020). Making sense of the dark side of religion and spirituality: Religious coping, struggles, and aggression. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(4), 621–635. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22915
Pargament, K. I., Smith, B. W., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. (1998). Patterns of positive and negative religious coping with major life stressors. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 37(4), 710–724. https://doi.org/10.2307/1388152
Pornari, C. D., & Wood, J. (2010). Peer and cyber aggression in secondary school students: The role of moral disengagement, hostile attribution bias, and outcome expectancies. Aggressive Behavior, 36(2), 81–94. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20336
Runions, K. C., Bak, M., & Shaw, T. (2019). Disengaged from the screen: Cyberbullying, moral disengagement, and sanctimonious justification in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(10), 2030–2043. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01103-6
Sari, T. P., & Shazadi, H. (2021). The role of religiosity and moral disengagement in cyberbullying behavior among social media users. Journal of Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 9(2), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.1017/jcb.2021.00412
Shamir-Alyagon, A., & Greenbaum, C. W. (2021). Cyberbullying, moral disengagement, and empathy in a religious vs secular educational context. Journal of Moral Education, 50(3), 341–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2020.1743321
Slonje, R., Smith, P. K., & Frisén, A. (2013). The nature of cyberbullying, and strategies for prevention. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(1), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.05.024
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2022). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. Suler, J. (2016). Psychology of the digital age: Humans become electric. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316424070
Tanrikulu, I., & Campbell, M. (2015). Correlates of cyberbullying perpetration: The role of moral disengagement, ruminate mentoring, and gender. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(9), 2753–2762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0078-4
Taufik, T. (2020). Religious fundamentalism and cyber-aggression: The role of cognitive flexibility. Indonesian Journal of Sinta Studies, 12(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.22146/ijss.v12i1.54321
Valera, B., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2022). Longitudinal relations between moral disengagement and cyberbullying in young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 131, 107212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107212
Vandebosch, H., & Van Cleemput, K. (2009). Cyberbullying among youngsters: Profiles of perpetrators and victims. New Media & Society, 11(8), 1349–1371. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444809341263
Wachs, S., Wright, M. F., & Mahl, D. (2021). The relation between cyberbullying perpetration, moral disengagement, and online hate speech. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(19-20), NP10342–NP10365. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519888531
Wang, X., Yang, L., Yang, J., Wang, P., & Lei, L. (2017). Trait anger and cyberbullying among young adults: A moderated mediation model of moral disengagement and moral identity. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 519–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.04.017
Widiantoro, F. W. (2026). Psikologi Flourishing: Dinamika kesehatan mental positif. Deepublish.
Willard, N. E. (2007). Cyberbullying and cyberthreats: Responding to the challenge of online social aggression, threats, and distress. Research Press.
Wolfe, S. E., & Lawson, S. G. (2020). Spiritual bypassing and moral exoneration in online spaces. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 14(3), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2020-3-4
Wright, M. F. (2014). Cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation among adolescents: A one-year longitudinal study of the role of moral disengagement. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 24(2), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2014.15
Yang, J., Wang, X., & Lei, L. (2020). Moral disengagement and cyberbullying perpetration: The moderating role of digital empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1422. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01422
Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: A comparison of associated youth characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(7), 1308–1316. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00316.x
Yudha, A., & Arismunandar, M. (2022). Cyber-anonymity, online toxicity, and moral detachment in Indonesian netizens. Jurnal Psikologi Sosial, 20(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.7454/jps.v20i2.22110
Zekonyte, A., & Campbell, M. (2022). Dehumanisation and the online environment: A psychological analysis of cyber-trolling and aggressive behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 6, 100185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100185
Zych, I., Baldry, A. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2019). School bullying and cyberbullying: A systematic review of moral disengagement and empathetic processes. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 44, 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.11.008
Published
2026-06-25
How to Cite
Ferihana, & Fx. Wahyu Widiantoro. (2026). The Paradox of Flourishing and Moral Disengagement: A Study of Religious-Identified Cyberbullying Perpetrators . International Journal of Education, Vocational and Social Science , 5(03), 2570-2591. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.4532
Contact Person +6282139474255
Email : ijevss@citakonsultindo.or.id / editor.ijevss@gmail.com
