Moral Injury

A moral injury is a traumatic experience emerging from witnessing or participating in an act of perceived moral transgression by oneself or by others. It produces profound feelings of guilt or shame, moral disorientation and societal alienation, and in some cases a sense of betrayal and anger toward colleagues, commanders, an organization, politics or society at large. It is most often studied in military personnel and in occupational groups that frequently face high-stakes situations, including healthcare workers, prison officers, humanitarian aid workers, survivors of human trafficking, people involved in accidents, and people who have been raped or abused.