The Mediating Effect of Life Orientation, Assertiveness and Psychological Well-Being in Relation to Moral Intelligence and the Prevention of Virtual Identity

Virtual space generates a wide array of information and semantic expressions, creating a sense of abundance. Individuals become suspended in the construction of their identity when confronted with the vastness of this space and its plethora of resources. The present study aims to determine the mediating role of life orientation, self-expression, and psychological well-being in the relationship between moral intelligence and the prevention of virtual identity.

The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of all female students in the second year of high school in Shiraz who were studying during the academic year 2022-2023. Among the statistical population, 382 people were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method with the Morgan and Karjesi formula. For data collection, self-expression was assessed using the Gambrill and Reiji (1975) questionnaire, psychological well-being with Rief's (1989) measure, moral intelligence using Link and Keel's (2008) instrument, and life orientation through Shier and Carver's (1985) scale. Data were analyzed using path analysis.

The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between moral intelligence, life orientation, self-expression, and psychological well-being with the prevention of virtual identity (P < 0.01). Moreover, moral intelligence was positively and significantly related to life orientation, self-expression, and psychological well-being (P < 0.01). The results further demonstrated that life orientation, self-expression, and psychological well-being acted as significant mediators in the relationship between moral intelligence and the prevention of virtual identity (P < 0.01).

The findings indicate that moral intelligence influences the prevention of virtual identity through self-expression, life orientation, and psychological well-being as mediators. Based on the obtained indices and coefficients, it can be concluded that the proposed model of the causal relationships between moral intelligence and prevention of virtual identity, with the mediation of self-expression, life orientation, and psychological well-being, adequately explains the data.