[6] People who hold moral convictions tend to perceive them as objectively true and universal in the sense that these should apply everywhere irrespective of the geographical location of time in history.
Behavioral research in social psychology demonstrates that individuals who have a moral basis for their attitude or opinion are more likely to react against the group norm, or counter-conform.
[7] For instance, one study[8] examined the reactions to a Supreme Court case that upheld states’ ability to decide whether to legalize physician-assisted suicide [Gonzales v. Oregon (2006)].
One recent study, using psychophysics, electroencephalography, and measures of attitudes on sociopolitical issues found that metacognitive accuracy, the degree to which confidence judgments separate between correct and incorrect trials,[10] moderates the relationship between moral conviction and social influence.
[14] The authors of that study concluded by suggesting that moral convictions about sociopolitical issues raise their subjective value, overriding our natural aversion to interpersonal harm.