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Moral Identity as a System of Self-representations Centrally Integrating Moral Values

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Abstract

Since the emergence of the field of moral identity, different theoretical and methodological perspectives have been developed, showing that it is a complex phenomenon that manifests itself and can be defined in different ways. Most such studies have defined and investigated moral identity as a generalized self-schema around moral traits. This perspective analyzes moral identity on a macro-scale of analysis. Despite its importance, to broaden the comprehension of moral identity, it is necessary to apprehend and investigate moral identity from other perspectives, being able to capture its functioning in a more detailed and in-depth way, comprising its nuances and complexity. From an integrative reading, the present article systematizes some perspectives on moral identity and proposes that moral identity can be defined as a system of self-representations centrally integrating moral values. Such proposition is synthesized in three premises that may constitute parameters for studies aimed at exploring moral identity from this perspective: (a) identity is constituted by different self-representations that can integrate moral values in different ways; (b) when this integration occurs in different self-representations, this confers regularity, consistency, and, therefore, can be an indicator of the centrality of these values in the system of self-representations; (c) when such moral values are coordinated with other values (moral and non-moral), it configures a coherent system of values that organizes the system of self-representations that constitute the identity, indicating its centrality to the subject.

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Acknowledgements

Professor Ulisses Araújo for contributing with the reflections and research that originated this article.

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  1. Faculty of Education, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marco Antonio Morgado da Silva

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da Silva, M.A.M. Moral Identity as a System of Self-representations Centrally Integrating Moral Values. Trends in Psychol. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-023-00354-z

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