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Cited by 1,566Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentEmotions and Moral BehaviorEthics in Business and Education

The CAD triad hypothesis: A mapping between three moral emotions (contempt, anger, disgust) and three moral codes (community, autonomy, divinity).

Rozin, Paul, Lowery, Laura, Imada, Sumio, Haidt, Jonathan·1999·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0022-3514.76.4.574
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Abstract

It is proposed that 3 emotions--contempt, anger, and disgust--are typically elicited, across cultures, by violations of 3 moral codes proposed by R. A. Shweder and his colleagues (R. A. Shweder, N. C. Much, M. Mahapatra, & L. Park, 1997). The proposed alignment links anger to autonomy (individual rights violations), contempt to community (violation of communal codes including hierarchy), and disgust to divinity (violations of purity-sanctity). This is the CAD triad hypothesis. Students in the United States and Japan were presented with descriptions of situations that involve 1 of the types of moral violations and asked to assign either an appropriate facial expression (from a set of 6) or an appropriate word (contempt, anger, disgust, or their translations). Results generally supported the CAD triad hypothesis. Results were further confirmed by analysis of facial expressions actually made by Americans to the descriptions of these situations.

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Emotions tend to be highly associated with moral judgments.

    “Emotions tend to be highly associated with moral judgments (3)”

    From Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks (2017) · cites this paper as [3]

  • Social communities account for cross-cultural variation in moral beliefs.

    “and account for cross-cultural variation in moral beliefs (3).”

    From Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks (2017) · cites this paper as [3]

  • Contempt is distinguishable from disgust because it evokes a moral superiority and avoidance of the target.

    “It is distinguishable from disgust because it evokes a moral superiority (Ekman, 1992; Haidt, 2003; Rozin et al., 1999) and avoidance of the target (Miceli and Castelfranchi, 2018, p. 1).”

    From “Real men in the battlefield”: a hybrid AI–discourse analysis of online homophobia and transphobia (2026) · cites this paper as Rozin et al., 1999

  • Disgust, according to the CAD triad model, is an emotion that invokes feelings of nausea and revulsion in the face of repulsive stimuli.

    “Disgust, according to the CAD triad model (e.g., Rozin et al., 1999), is an emotion that 'invokes feelings of nausea and revulsion' in the face of repulsive stimuli.”

    From “Real men in the battlefield”: a hybrid AI–discourse analysis of online homophobia and transphobia (2026) · cites this paper as Rozin et al., 1999

  • Core disgust has been elaborated into animal nature disgust, a moral emotion in which actions reminding us we are animals are repressed, hidden, or condemned.

    “Core disgust appears to have been elaborated into a more complex moral emotion that we call animal nature disgust in which actions and events that remind us that we are animals are repressed, hidden, or condemned.”

    From Disgusting Bodies, Disgusting Religion: The Biology of Tantra (2011) · cites this paper as Rozin et al. 1999: 575

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Authors
Rozin, P., Lowery, L., Imada, S., & Haidt, J.
Affiliations
University of Pennsylvania (US)
ORCID
Haidt, Jonathan
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1999
Volume
76
Issue
4
Pages
574-586
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/0022-3514.76.4.574
OpenAlex
W4246964539
Cited by
1,566
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 75 · 2025: 71 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 89 · 2018: 80 · 2017: 79 · 2016: 88 · 2015: 81 · 2014: 91 · 2013: 98 · 2012: 51
FWCI
3.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Ethics in Business and Education
Keywords
moral emotions, moral norms, contempt, anger, disgust, community, autonomy, divinity, moral psychology
MeSH terms
Culture, Emotions, Facial Expression, Freedom, Humans, Japan, Morals, United States, Vocabulary

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