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the moral reasoning of student athletes and athletic training students

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Thus, attempting to identify when <strong>athletes</strong> may choose to begin doping as well as <strong>the</strong><br />

reasons underlying those choices may require an instrument specific to <strong>the</strong> <strong>moral</strong> <strong>reasoning</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

doping in sport. Additionally, knowing more about how <strong>student</strong> <strong>athletes</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>athletic</strong> <strong>training</strong><br />

<strong>student</strong>s reason about performance enhancing drugs may help in designing effective educational<br />

strategies to address doping in sport.<br />

Over <strong>the</strong> past 20 years, researchers have found that <strong>athletes</strong> are significantly more<br />

affected by <strong>the</strong> competitive experience compared to those not engaged in <strong>the</strong>se high levels <strong>of</strong><br />

sport. According to <strong>the</strong>se researchers, much evidence exists to suggest that <strong>athletes</strong> are generally<br />

less developed in <strong>the</strong>ir processes <strong>of</strong> <strong>moral</strong> <strong>reasoning</strong> than non-<strong>athletes</strong> (Beller & Stoll, 1993;<br />

Beller, 1990; Hahm, 1989; Beller & Stoll, 1995; Beller, Stoll, Burwell & Cole, 1996; Rudd &<br />

Stoll, 1998; Stoll & Beller, 1998). Moreover, it appears that <strong>the</strong> longer <strong>athletes</strong> participate in<br />

sport, <strong>the</strong> less <strong>moral</strong>ly reasoned <strong>the</strong>y become. It has been said that individuals can become<br />

hardened to identifying <strong>moral</strong> issues <strong>and</strong> tend to reason from an egoistic perspective where <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

own self interests <strong>and</strong> desires drive <strong>the</strong>ir decision making (Beller, Stoll, & Hansen, 2004;<br />

Kretchmar, 1995). Notions about o<strong>the</strong>rs, social rules, laws, <strong>and</strong> principles have little value or<br />

merit in decision making. They tend to see <strong>the</strong>ir opponents as objects ra<strong>the</strong>r than as people<br />

(Lumpkin, Stoll, & Beller, 2003). Unfortunately, much time is spent in sport developing <strong>athletes</strong>’<br />

bodies, physical skills <strong>and</strong> abilities <strong>and</strong> little, if any, time on <strong>the</strong>ir development <strong>of</strong> character.<br />

While <strong>the</strong> HBVCI is a valid <strong>and</strong> reliable tool for measuring general <strong>moral</strong> <strong>reasoning</strong> in<br />

sport, some have argued that it would be <strong>of</strong> benefit to examine how individuals reason relative to<br />

specific issues in sport such as doping (Stoll, Gwebu, & Beller, 2006). Knowing more about <strong>the</strong><br />

underlying <strong>reasoning</strong> behind doping may provide researchers a better insight into decisions to<br />

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