On Friday January 31st we were honored to host Dr. Alida Liberman (Southern Methodist University) for her talk “Understanding Everyday Moral Stress,” where she discussed ways in which ordinary, low-stakes moral decision-making in a deeply flawed world can lead to distress, demoralization, desensitization, and denigration of one’s moral capacities. Just like regular stress, when moral stressors are unescapable they become counterproductive. She talked about common sources of everyday moral stress that were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined a framework for how moral stress occurs and what the impacts are, as well as how we should respond to it.

The talk took place in Wyatt Hall and was well attended by students and faculty. Thank you so much to Dr. Liberman for your fascinating talk, and thank you to everyone who attended!