Journal of Moral and Civic Education
Vol 10 No 2 (2026): Journal of Moral and Civic Education

Immornormalcy: a Conceptual Paper on the Normalization of Immorality Among Student Populations and Its Theoretical Foundations

Emmanuel Frimpong Asante (University of Cape Coast)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Aug 2026

Abstract

Moral decay within educational institutions is no longer a prophecy, it is an observable, measurable, and alarmingly normalized reality. Yet mainstream psychological and educational scholarship continues to treat this decay as an extension of existing constructs such as moral disengagement, normalization of deviance, or amorality, failing to recognize that a categorically distinct psychosocial phenomenon has emerged: one in which immorality is not merely practiced but actively normalized, socially rewarded, and institutionally tolerated. This paper introduces Immornormalcy as a novel psychosocial construct defined as the collective normalization, social acceptance, and perceived ordinariness of behaviors and attitudes. This kind of attitudes traditionally regarded as immoral, unethical, or deviant within a given social context, particularly among student populations. Drawing on Social Norms Theory, Moral Disengagement Theory, Normalization of Deviance, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and Social Learning Theory, this paper establishes the theoretical architecture of Immornormalcy, delineates its three core dimensions; Normalization, Social Acceptance, and Perceived Ordinariness, and advances six theoretical propositions linking Immornormalcy to student behavioral and institutional outcomes. This work contributes a new lens for understanding the moral crisis facing contemporary educational settings and provides a rigorous conceptual foundation for future scale development and empirical validation.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

JMCE

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences

Description

Journal of Moral and Civic Education (JMCE) is a scientific journal published by the Universitas Negeri Padang Social Political Science Department. JMCE publishes articles about moral and civic education, interdisciplinary studies of politics, law sociology, history, and culture that influence moral ...