Moral development: theories and psychological foundations

Moral Development

The purpose of the Thomspon (2012) article is to review literature on moral development and propose a new theoretical framework of life-span moral development. The development of moral conscience; the patterns of social cognition; and emotional understanding or emotional intelligence, are the three key components of the proposed framework of life-span moral development. Theory of mind addresses the evolution of cognitive processes related to social and empathic development. For example, infants and toddlers exhibit sensitivity to others' intentions, which has an impact on behavior. Furthermore, theory of mind research shows that young children can tell the difference between the social conventions vs. moral behavior. Thus, young children understand the concept of fairness. Young children can also comprehend the connection between their own personal desires and the results of their actions on other people's emotions. This is related to the capacity to sense and care about the emotions of others. The research findings reveal a trend in the literature: young children use pro-social reasoning and develop moral character independently of normative rules.

The theory of mind research corresponds also with research on the parent-child relationship dynamic as it pertains to moral development. The quality of the parent-child relationship influences the development of conscience in the child. Thus, secure attachments with responsive parents are more conducive to moral conscience development in children. Another factor in the parent-child relationship that impacts the evolution of conscience in children is the degree to which mothers include the feelings of others in their discussions about the child's misbehaviors. Thus, children who are able to perceive that they hurt another person are more likely to develop a moral conscience than simply being told about the rules and the consequences for breaking them. A life-span theory of moral development also pertains to child identity construction. Young children develop self-awareness relatively early in childhood, around age five. Finally, research highlights a tendency of reciprocity in moral behavior, related to the development of social conscience.