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Interpersonal understanding and moral judgment in adolescents with emotional and cognitive disorders

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Abstract

Among a group of emotionally disturbed adolescents, those adolescents who were socially engaged showed higher levels of moral judgment and interpersonal understanding than socially withdrawn adolescents. Severity of disturbance and intelligence level were unrelated to the measures of social and moral understanding. These findings suggest that social involvement is particularly critical for the development of social and moral judgment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine, 90024, Los Angeles, California

    Marian Sigman Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology, UCLA School of Medicine, 90024, Los Angeles, California

    Marian Sigman Ph.D.

  3. Antioch University, Los Angeles

    Albert Erdynast

Authors
  1. Marian Sigman Ph.D.
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  2. Albert Erdynast
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Additional information

This study was supported by NIMH Grant 33815 and NICHD grant 17622. Assessments were carried out by Mark Greenberg and Keith Owen Yeates, Ph.D. We appreciate the assistance of the many staff members of Ward A-West (formerly 6-West) who completed behavioral ratings. The manuscript was prepared by Luisa Castillo and Margie Greenwald. The authors are particularly grateful for the contribution to this research made by John R. Weisz of the University of North Carolina.

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Sigman, M., Erdynast, A. Interpersonal understanding and moral judgment in adolescents with emotional and cognitive disorders. Child Psych Hum Dev 19, 36–44 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00713734

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00713734

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