Description

The Humanistic Morality/Liberal Belief Scale (HMLBS) is a psychometric tool designed to assess individuals’ beliefs and attitudes regarding humanistic ethics and liberal ideas. This scale examines individuals’ views on morality, social justice, individual freedom, and liberal political beliefs.

Purpose

The primary goal of the HMLBS is to provide a reliable and valid means for assessing humanistic and liberal beliefs. This tool helps researchers and clinicians understand how ethical and political beliefs influence individuals’ psychological well-being, behavior, and interpersonal relationships.

Analysis

The HMLBS consists of a series of statements that assess various aspects of humanistic ethics and liberal beliefs. The main dimensions typically assessed include:
Morality and Social Justice:
Assesses the individual’s belief in the value of social justice and moral behavior.
Example statements: “I believe that all people should have equal rights and opportunities.”
Individual Freedom:
Assesses belief in individual freedom and self-determination.
Example statements: “Every person should have the freedom to live their life as they wish, as long as they do not harm others.”
Political Liberal Stance:
Assesses support for liberal political and social changes.
Example statements: “I support policies that promote social welfare and the protection of human rights.”

Scoring

The scoring of the HMLBS is done using Likert scales, where participants rate each statement on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Responses are collected and analyzed to produce overall scores for each dimension of humanistic and liberal beliefs. Higher scores indicate stronger or more positive beliefs in the corresponding dimensions.

Bibliography

Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on Moral Development, Vol. I: The Philosophy of Moral Development. Harper & Row.
Rest, J. R. (1986). Moral Development: Advances in Research and Theory. Praeger.
Inglehart, R., & Welzel, C. (2005). Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy: The Human Development Sequence. Cambridge University Press.
Haidt, J. (2012). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Pantheon Books.