Skip to main content

The Development of Moral Identity and Moral Motivation in Childhood and Adolescence

  • Chapter

Part of the book series: Moral Development and Citizenship Education ((MORA,volume 1))

Abstract

Investigating moral identity and moral motivation from a developmental and criminological perspective accomplishes two contradictory research goals. On the one hand, developmental research on morality argues that establishing moral identity begins with adolescence and moral motivation further increases with age, especially between childhood and adolescence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Archer, S. (1982). The lower age boundaries of identity development. Child Development, 53, 1551–1556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, M.L. (1993). The place of morality in the adolescent self. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA: unpublished thesis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barriga, A.Q., Morrison, E.M., Liau, A.K., & Gibbs, J.C. (2001). Moral cognition: Explaining the gender difference in antisocial behavior. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 47, 532–562.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergman, R. (2004). Identity as motivation: Towards a theory of the moral self. In D. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self, and identity (pp. 21–46). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A. (1983). Moral cognition and moral action: A theoretical perspective. Developmental Review, 3, 178–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A. (1993). The development of identity: Some implications for moral functioning. In G.G. Noam & T.E. Wren (Eds.), The moral self (pp. 99–122). Cambridge, Massachusetts, London: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A. (1995). Moral understanding and the moral personality: The process of moral integration. In W.M. Kurtines & J.L. Gewirtz (Eds.), Moral development: An introduction (pp. 229–253). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A. (2004). Moral functioning: Moral understanding and personality. In D. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self, and identity (pp. 335–348). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A. (2005). Moral character: A psychological approach. In D. Lapsley & F.C. Power (Eds.), Character psychology and character education (pp. 67–100). Notre Dame Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A., & Glodis. (1995). The development of identity. A critical analysis from the perspective of the self as subject. Psychological Review, 15, 304–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bortz, J., & Döring, N. (2005). Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation [Research methods and evaluation]. Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doering, B. (2012). Die Bedeutung Moralischer Motivation bei der Erklärung delinquenten Verhaltens im Jugendalter [The influence of moral motivation on delinqeunt behavior in adolescence]. Neue Kriminologische Schriftenreihe (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E.H. (1981a). Identität und Lebenszyklus [Identity and life cycle]. Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E.H. (1981b). Jugend und Krise [Identity: Youth and crisis]. Frankfurt a.M.: Klett-Cotta.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrington, D.P. (1986). Age and crime. Crime and Justice, 7, 189–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frimer, J.A. & Walker, L.J. (2009). Reconciling the self and morality: An empirical model of moral centrality development. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1669–1681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1990). Processes underlying adolescent self-concept formation. In R. Montemayor, G. Adams & T. Gullotta (Eds.), From childhood to adolescence: A transitional period (pp. 205–239). Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S., & Monsour, A. (1992). Developmental analysis of conflict caused by opposing attributes in the adolescent self-portrait. Developmental Psychology, 28, 251–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E.T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review, 94, 319–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L. (1996). Die Psychologie der Moralentwicklung [The psychology of moral development]. Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L., Levine, C., & Hewer, A. (1983). Moral stages: A current formulation and a response to critics. Basel: Karger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krettenauer, T. (2011). The dual moral self: Moral centrality and internal moral motivation. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 172, 309–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krettenauer, T., & Eichler, D. (2006). Adolescents’ self-attributed moral emotions following a moral transgression: Relations with delinquency, confidence in moral judgment and age. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 24, 489–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lapsley, D. (1996). Moral psychology. Boulder: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laub, J.H., & Sampson, R.J. (2003). Shared beginnings, divergent lives: Delinquent boys to age 70. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malti, T., & Buchmann, M. (2010). Socialization and individual antecedents of adolescents’ and young adults’ moral motivation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 138–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J.E. (1966). Development and validation of egoidentity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J.E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 159–187). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J.E. (1993). The ego identity status approach to ego identity. In J.E. Marcia, A.S. Waterman, D.R. Matteson, S. Archer & J.L. Orlofsky (Eds.), Ego identitity: A handbook for psychosocial research (pp. 3–21). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour. Psychological Review, 100, 674–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narvaez, D., & Lapsley, D.K. (2009). Moral identity, moral functioning, and the development of moral character. In D.L. Medin, L. Skitka, D. Bartels & C. Bauman (Eds.), Moral cognition and decision making (Vol. 50, pp. 237–274) Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunner-Winkler, G. (2007). Development of moral motivation from childhood to early adulthood. Journal of Moral Education, 36, 399–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunner-Winkler, G. (2008). Zur Entwicklung moralischer Motivation [Towards the development of moral motivation]. In J. Schneider (Ed.), Entwicklung von der Kindheit bis zum Erwachsenenalter: Befunde der Münchner Längsschnittstudie LOGIK (pp. 103–123). Weinheim: Beltz Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunner-Winkler, G., Meyer-Nikele, M., & Wohlrab, D. (2006). Integration durch Moral: Moralische Motivation und Ziviltugenden Jugendlicher [Integration through morality: Moral motivation and civil virtues of adolescents]. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunner-Winkler, G., Meyer-Nikele, M., & Wohlrab, D. (2007). Gender differences in moral motivation. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 53, 26–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunner-Winkler, G., & Sodian, B. (1988). Children’s understanding of moral emotions. Child Development, 59, 1323–1338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oerter, R., & Dreher, E. (2008). Jugendalter [Adolescence]. In R. Oerter & L. Montada (Eds.), Entwicklungspsychologie (pp. 271–283). Weinheim, Basel: Beltz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, M.W., Arnold, M.L., Pratt, A.T., & Diessner, R. (1999). Predicting adolescent moral reasoning from family climate: A longitudinal study. Journal of Early Adolescence, 19, 148–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, M.W., Hunsberger, B., Pancer, S.M., & Alisat, S. (2003). A longitudinal analysis of personal values socialization: Correlates of a moral self-ideal in late adolescence. Social Development, 12, 563–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, B.W., & DelVecchio, W.F. (2000). The rank-order consistency of personality traits from childhood to old age: A quantitative review of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 3–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1986). Self-concept from middle childhood through adolescence. In J.M. Suls & A.G. Greenwald (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on the self (Vol. 3, pp. 107–136). Orlando: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheffer, D., & Heckhausen, H. (2006). Eigenschaftstheorien der Motivation. In J. Heckhausen & H. Heckhausen (Eds.), Motivation und Handeln (pp. 43–72). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, B., & Mummendey, A. (1997). Selbst, Identität und Gruppe [Self, identity and groups]. In A. Mummendey & B. Simon (Eds.), Identität und Verschiedenheit. Zur Sozialpsychologie der Identität in komplexen Gesellschaften (pp. 11–38). Bern: Huber.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stams, J.G., Brugman, D., Dekovic, M., Rosmalen, L., Laan, P., & Gibbs, J.C. (2006). The moral judgment of juvenile delinquents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 697–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straub, J. (2000). Identität als psychologisches Deutungskonstrukt [Identity as a psychological construct of interpretation]. In W. Greve (Ed.), Psychologie des Selbst (pp. 279–301). Weinheim: Beltz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H., & Turner, J.C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behaviour. In S. Worchel & W.G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Chicago: Nelson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turiel, E. (1983). The development of social knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Roy, B., Groholt, B., Heyerdahl, S., & Clench-Aas, J. (2006). Self-reported strengths and difficulties in a large Norwegian population 10–19 years: Age and gender specific results of the extended SDQ- questionnaire. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 15, 189–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, M., & Stafford, W.H. (1991). The influence of delinquent peers: what they think or what they do? Criminology, 29, 851–866.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Sense Publishers

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Doering, B. (2013). The Development of Moral Identity and Moral Motivation in Childhood and Adolescence. In: Handbook of Moral Motivation. Moral Development and Citizenship Education, vol 1. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-275-4_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Societies and partnerships