CORRELATIONS OF MORAL INJURY AMONG PAKISTANI LAWYERS

Abstract

Introduction: According to Litz et al., moral injury is the commission of, inability to prevent, observation of, or knowledge of acts that violate strongly held moral principles and standards. The current study contributed to a better understanding of psychological well-being in the legal profession by examining the relationships between moral harm among lawyers and pathological lying, decisional tiredness, and religiosity.

Method: A cross-sectional, quantitative research design was used. A purposeful sample of practicing lawyers selected from Pakistan's district, high, and supreme courts were given standardized measures of pathological lying, decisional weariness, religiosity, and moral harm. The direction, strength, and predictive value of the associations between the independent variables and moral harm were evaluated through the use of Pearson correlation analysis.

Results: Analysis showed a strong positive relationship between moral injury and pathological lying, indicating that continuous dishonesty increases moral conflict and distress even though it is frequently the result of adversarial behavior. Indicating that constant decision-making demands weaken ethical resilience and heighten susceptibility to moral strain, decisional tiredness was likewise significantly correlated with moral injury. There was a slight positive connection between religiosity and moral injury, which was contrary to the prediction of a protective effect. As a result, religious practices and beliefs may be consoling, but they may also exacerbate internal conflict when work obligations collide with moral or spiritual values.

Conclusions: The research indicates that while religiosity has a complicated and conflicting impact, pathological lying and decisional exhaustion are important causes of moral harm among attorneys. In Pakistan, these findings have ramifications for professional training, legal education, and institutional reforms. The findings also emphasize the significance of taking religious and cultural factors into account when addressing moral damage in the legal field.