This study is an exploration of the nature and formation of moral sentiments concerning what constitutes deviance and how deviants should be treated. These sentiments establish the general climate of moral tolerance or intolerance within which reactions to particular instances of deviance take shape. The study is based upon the assumption that differences between people in terms of such moral sentiments reflect further differences in other areas of their lives, in the roles in which they find themselves and the distinctive ideologies to they adhere. The thesis starts from an examination of the work undertaken in this area by Ranulf in developing his theory of moral indignation. This holds that a repressive morality embracing hostility towards hedonism and punitiveness towards deviants is characteristic of the lower middle class as the indirect result of the restraints forced upon its members by their position in the class structure. The present thesis employs the critical appraisal of Ranulf's theory as an opportunity to draw together evidence which serves as a means of elaborating a more comprehensive theory of moral indignation. This evidence is culled from the examination of a number of studies taken from the fields of sociology, social psychology and social anthropology. A study of three "moral crusades" - the Responsible Society, the Nationwide Festival of Light, and the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association – is undertaken to investigate the nature of moral indignation in a contemporary setting. The study concludes by setting forth an explanation of the nature and origin of moral authoritarianism as the product of social constraints.

The aim of this study is to explore, through rankings, tolerance towards morally debatable situations. The sample comprised 254 psychology college students (male and female) in Lima, 21-year old on average. The instrument used was the Morally Debatable Behaviors Scale. It is concluded that there is a similarity in the rankings by gender and age. In terms of religion, there are differences with the group of Evangelists, who are less tolerant than Catholics regarding pre-marital sexual relations. The impact of these results in understanding the tendency to action in terms of morality is discussed. / El objetivo del presente estudio es explorar la tolerancia ante situaciones moralmente controversiales mediante rankings. La muestra estuvo conformada por 254 estudiantes universitarios de la carrera de psicología, entre varones y mujeres, con una edad promedio de 21 años, de la ciudad de Lima. El instrumento utilizado fue la Escala de Comportamientos Morales Controvertidos. Se concluye que existe similitud, según género y edad, en relación a los rankings de los comportamientos morales controvertidos. En cuanto a la religión, se encontraron diferencias con el grupo evangélico, quienes resultan ser menos tolerantes en cuanto a las relaciones prematrimoniales; en comparación a los católicos. Discutimos el impacto de estos resultados en la comprensión de la tendencia a la acción en el plano de la moralidad.