Overview
This essay outlines the assessment of moral reasoning, with reference to adolescents. First, moral reasoning theory is briefly described to provide the context for this essay; this is followed by a review of the different types of measures in this area. Finally, research on adolescents’ moral reasoning is reviewed, with specific reference to its relation with aggressive and antisocial behavior.
Moral Reasoning
Moral reasoning refers to how individuals reason about and justify their behavior, (Kohlberg 1969,1984). The concept of moral reasoning was first proposed by Piaget (1932) in his research into children’s cognitive development, and expanded upon by Kohlberg (1969,1984). Kohlberg (1969) proposed that moral reasoning becomes progressively more complex and abstract in parallel with cognitive development, with people progressing sequentially through six stages. This theory has recently been revised by Gibbs (2003) taking greater account of the roles of social perspective...
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Palmer, E.J. (2011). Moral Reasoning Assessment. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_10
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