Moral Emotions during Military Deployments of Dutch Forces: A Qualitative Study on Moral Emotions in Intercultural Interactions

Which emotions are generated by the behavior of “the other” in intercultural interactions that Dutch soldiers perceive as conflicting with their own values? How are these emotions related to types of behavioral reactions of Dutch military personnel? This preliminary study explores the emotional and behavioral reactions of Dutch military personnel deployed in unfamiliar cultural settings. Using a grounded theory approach, a total of 121 situations were studied. The narratives were derived from interview sessions with servicemen reflecting on their recent deployment. The results of this explorative study indicate that violations of standards with regard to an individual’s position in society evoke most emotions. The more a situation is experienced as reprehensible and “strange,” the stronger the negative emotions. Although most soldiers did not react in accordance with their strong and negative emotions (they started a dialogue or reported the incident), the consequences of such emotions and subsequent reactions can have quite an impact on the individual level as well as on the organizational and international political level. We therefore underline the importance of combining ethical dilemma and cultural awareness training during predeployment.