This study aimed at assessing whether and to what extent moral judgment and behaviour were: 1. situation-dependent; 2. selectively dependent on cognitive and affective components; 3. influenced by gender and age; 4. reciprocally congruent. In order to achieve these aims, four different types of moral dilemmas were construed and five types of thinking were presented for each of them – representing five possible ways to evaluate the situation. The judgment criteria included selfishness, altruism, sense of justice, and the conflict between selfishness and the two moral issues. The participants were 250 unpaid volunteers (50% male; 50% female) belonging to two age-groups: young people and adults. The study entailed a 2 (gender) x 2 (age-group) x 5 (type of thinking) x 4 (situation) mixed design: the first two variables were betweensubjects, the others were within-subjects. Results have shown that: 1. moral judgment and behaviour are at least partially affected by the type of situations and by interpersonal variables such as gender and age; 2. moral reasoning depends in a similar manner on cognitive and affective factors; 3. there is not a gender polarity between the ethic of justice and the ethic of cure/ altruism; 4. moral reasoning and behavior are perceived as reciprocally congruent even though their congruence decreases with a more objective assessment. Such results were discussed in the light of contrasting theories on morality.
[1] J. C. Gibbs, "Kohlberg-s stages of moral judgment: A constructive
critique," Harvard Educational Review, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 43-61, 1977.
[2] J. C. Gibbs, "Kohlberg-s moral stage theory: A Piagetian revision,"
Human Development, vol. 22, no.2, pp. 89-112, 1979.
[3] L. Kohlberg, "Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental
approach to socialization," in Handbook of socialization theory and
research, D. Goslin, Ed. Chicago: Rand McNall, 1969, pp. 347-480.
[4] L. Kohlberg, "Moral Stages and Moralization," in Moral development
and behavior. Theory, research, and social issues, T. Lickona, Ed. New
York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976, pp. 31-53.
[5] L. Kohlberg, Essays on moral development. Vol.2: The Psychology of
moral development. San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row, 1984.
[6] J. Piaget, Le jugement moral chez l-enfant, Paris: Alcan, 1932.
[7] J. Rest, "Major component processes in the production of moral
behavior," in Morality, moral behavior, and moral development, W.
Kurtines and J. Gewirtz, Eds. New York: Wiley, 1984, pp. 24-40.
[8] J.R. Snarey, "The cross-cultural universality of socio-moral
development: A critical review of Kohlbergian research," Psychological
Bulletin, vol. 97, no.2, pp. 202-232, 1985.
[9] A. Colby and L. Kohlberg, The measurement of moral judgment. Vol.1:
Theoretical foundations and research validation. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press. (1987).
[10] L. Kohlberg and D. Candee, "The relationship of moral judgment to
moral action," in Essays in moral development. Vol. 2: The Psychology
of moral development, L. Kohlberg, Ed. San Francisco, CA: Harper and
Row, 1984, pp. 498-581.
[11] J. C. Gibbs, K. S. Basinger, R. L. Grime, and J. R. Snarey, "Moral
judgment development across cultures: Revisiting Kohlberg-s
universality claims," Developmental Review, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 443-500,
2007.
[12] C.P. Edwards, "Cross-cultural research on Kohlberg-s stages: The basis
for consensus," in Lawrence Kohlberg: Consensus and Controversy, S.
Modgil and C. Modgil Eds. London: Falmer Press, 1986, pp. 419-430.
[13] J. I. Carpendale and D. L. Krebs, "Variations in moral judgment as a
function of type of dilemma and moral choice," Journal of Personality,
vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 289-313, 1995.
[14] G. R. Wark and D. L. Krebs, "Gender and dilemma differences in reallife
moral judgment," Developmental Psychology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp.
220-230, 1996.
[15] S. Juujärvi, "Care and Justice in Real-Life Moral Reasoning," Journal of
Adult Development, vol. 12, no. 4, pp.199-210, 2005.
[16] S. Juujärvi, "Care reasoning in real-life conflicts," Journal of Moral
Education, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 197-211, 2006.
[17] G. R. Wark and D. L. Krebs, "Sources of variation in moral judgment:
Toward a Model of Real-life Morality," Journal of Adult Development,
vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 163-178, 1997.
[18] G. R. Wark and D. L. Krebs, "The construction of moral dilemmas in
everyday life," Journal of Moral Education, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 5-21,
2000.
[19] S. Haviv and P. J. Leman, "Moral decision making in real-life: Factors
affecting moral orientation and behaviour justification," Journal of
Moral Education, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 121-140, 2002.
[20] R. Linn, "The claim for moral maturity, consistency, and integrity
among objecting Israeli soldiers," Journal of Applied Social Psychology,
vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 399-417, 1995.
[21] J. Rest, D. Narvaez, M. J. Bebeau, and S. J. Thoma, Post-conventional
moral thinking. A neo-Kohlbergian approach. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum,
1999.
[22] R. Harré, Personal being: A theory for individual psychology.
Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
[23] M. S. Clark and J. Mills, "The difference between communal and
exchange relationships: What it is and is not," Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, vol. 19, no. 6, pp. 684-691, 1993.
[24] A. P. Fiske, "The four elementary forms of sociality: Framework for a
unified theory of social relations," Psychological Review, vol. 99, no. 4,
pp. 689-723, 1992.
[25] A. Blasi, "Bridging moral cognition and moral action: A critical review
of the literature," Psychological Bulletin, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 1-45, 1980.
[26] L.P. Nucci, "The development of moral reasoning," in Blackwell
handbook of childhood cognitive development, U. Goswami, Ed.
Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2002, pp. 303-325.
[27] A. Blasi, "Moral cognition and moral action: A theoretical perspective,"
Developmental Review, vol. 3, pp. 179-210, 1983.
[28] A. Blasi, "Kohlberg-s theory and moral motivation," New Directions for
Child Development, vol. 47, no.1, pp. 51-57, 1990.
[29] A. Colby and W. Damon, Some do care: Contemporary lives of moral
commitment. New York: Free Press, 1992.
[30] R. Bergman, "Why Be Moral? A Conceptual Model from
Developmental Psychology," Human Development, vol. 45, no. 2, pp.
104-124, 2002.
[31] A. Bandura, "Mechanism of moral disengagement," in Origins,
psychologies, ideologies, theologies of terrorism: States of mind, W.
Reich, Ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990, pp. 161-191.
[32] C. Gilligan, In a different voice: Psychological theory and women-s
development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.
[33] E. E. A. Skoe, "The ethic of care: Issues in moral development," in
Personality development in adolescence: A cross-national and life-span
perspective, E. E. Skoe and A. L. von der Lippe, Eds. London:
Routledge, 1998, pp.143-171.
[34] E. E. A. Skoe. and A.L. von der Lippe, "Ego development and the ethics
of care and justice: The relation among them revisited," Journal of
Personality, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 485-508, 2002.
[35] S. Jaffee and J. S. Hyde, "Gender differences in moral orientation: A
meta-analysis," Psychological Bulletin, vol. 126, no. 4, pp. 703-726,
2000.
[36] M. L. Hoffman, "Affective and cognitive processes in moral
internalization," in Social cognition and social development: A sociocultural
perspective, E. T. Higgins, D.N. Ruble, and W.W. Hartup, Eds.
Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1983, pp. 236-274.
[37] M. L. Hoffman, "Empathy and justice motivation," Motivation and
Emotion, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 151-172, 1990.
[38] M. L. Hoffman, Empathy and moral development: Implications for
caring and justice. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
[39] J. Haidt, "The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist
approach to moral judgment," Psychological Review, vol. 108, no. 4, pp.
814-834, 2001.
[40] J. Haidt, "The emotional dog does learn new tricks: A reply to Pizarro
and Bloom (2003)," Psychological Review, vol. 110, no. 1, 197-198,
2003.
[41] J. Haidt, "The emotional dog gets mistaken for a possum," Review of
General Psychology, vol. 8, no.4, pp. 283-290, 2004.
[42] D. A. Pizarro and A. Bloom, "The intelligence of the moral intuitions.
Comment on Haidt (2001),". Psychological Review, vol. 110, no. 1, pp.
193-196, 2003.
[43] D. L. Krebs and K. Denton, "Toward a more pragmatic approach to
morality: A critical evaluation of Kohlberg-s model," Psychological
Review, vol. 112, no. 3, pp. 629-649, 2005.
[44] D. L. Krebs and K. Denton, "Explanatory Limitations of Cognitive-
Developmental Approaches to Morality," Psychological Review, vol.
113, no. 3, pp. 672-675, 2006.
[45] O. Matarazzo, "Ragionamento e comportamento morale nella tarda
infanzia e in adolescenza (Moral reasoning and behaviour in late
childhood and adolescence), " in Legalità e mondo giovanile (Legality
and youth), A. M. Giannini and R. Sgalla, Eds. Roma: Carocci, 2008 (in
press).
[1] J. C. Gibbs, "Kohlberg-s stages of moral judgment: A constructive
critique," Harvard Educational Review, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 43-61, 1977.
[2] J. C. Gibbs, "Kohlberg-s moral stage theory: A Piagetian revision,"
Human Development, vol. 22, no.2, pp. 89-112, 1979.
[3] L. Kohlberg, "Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental
approach to socialization," in Handbook of socialization theory and
research, D. Goslin, Ed. Chicago: Rand McNall, 1969, pp. 347-480.
[4] L. Kohlberg, "Moral Stages and Moralization," in Moral development
and behavior. Theory, research, and social issues, T. Lickona, Ed. New
York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976, pp. 31-53.
[5] L. Kohlberg, Essays on moral development. Vol.2: The Psychology of
moral development. San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row, 1984.
[6] J. Piaget, Le jugement moral chez l-enfant, Paris: Alcan, 1932.
[7] J. Rest, "Major component processes in the production of moral
behavior," in Morality, moral behavior, and moral development, W.
Kurtines and J. Gewirtz, Eds. New York: Wiley, 1984, pp. 24-40.
[8] J.R. Snarey, "The cross-cultural universality of socio-moral
development: A critical review of Kohlbergian research," Psychological
Bulletin, vol. 97, no.2, pp. 202-232, 1985.
[9] A. Colby and L. Kohlberg, The measurement of moral judgment. Vol.1:
Theoretical foundations and research validation. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press. (1987).
[10] L. Kohlberg and D. Candee, "The relationship of moral judgment to
moral action," in Essays in moral development. Vol. 2: The Psychology
of moral development, L. Kohlberg, Ed. San Francisco, CA: Harper and
Row, 1984, pp. 498-581.
[11] J. C. Gibbs, K. S. Basinger, R. L. Grime, and J. R. Snarey, "Moral
judgment development across cultures: Revisiting Kohlberg-s
universality claims," Developmental Review, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 443-500,
2007.
[12] C.P. Edwards, "Cross-cultural research on Kohlberg-s stages: The basis
for consensus," in Lawrence Kohlberg: Consensus and Controversy, S.
Modgil and C. Modgil Eds. London: Falmer Press, 1986, pp. 419-430.
[13] J. I. Carpendale and D. L. Krebs, "Variations in moral judgment as a
function of type of dilemma and moral choice," Journal of Personality,
vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 289-313, 1995.
[14] G. R. Wark and D. L. Krebs, "Gender and dilemma differences in reallife
moral judgment," Developmental Psychology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp.
220-230, 1996.
[15] S. Juujärvi, "Care and Justice in Real-Life Moral Reasoning," Journal of
Adult Development, vol. 12, no. 4, pp.199-210, 2005.
[16] S. Juujärvi, "Care reasoning in real-life conflicts," Journal of Moral
Education, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 197-211, 2006.
[17] G. R. Wark and D. L. Krebs, "Sources of variation in moral judgment:
Toward a Model of Real-life Morality," Journal of Adult Development,
vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 163-178, 1997.
[18] G. R. Wark and D. L. Krebs, "The construction of moral dilemmas in
everyday life," Journal of Moral Education, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 5-21,
2000.
[19] S. Haviv and P. J. Leman, "Moral decision making in real-life: Factors
affecting moral orientation and behaviour justification," Journal of
Moral Education, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 121-140, 2002.
[20] R. Linn, "The claim for moral maturity, consistency, and integrity
among objecting Israeli soldiers," Journal of Applied Social Psychology,
vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 399-417, 1995.
[21] J. Rest, D. Narvaez, M. J. Bebeau, and S. J. Thoma, Post-conventional
moral thinking. A neo-Kohlbergian approach. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum,
1999.
[22] R. Harré, Personal being: A theory for individual psychology.
Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
[23] M. S. Clark and J. Mills, "The difference between communal and
exchange relationships: What it is and is not," Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, vol. 19, no. 6, pp. 684-691, 1993.
[24] A. P. Fiske, "The four elementary forms of sociality: Framework for a
unified theory of social relations," Psychological Review, vol. 99, no. 4,
pp. 689-723, 1992.
[25] A. Blasi, "Bridging moral cognition and moral action: A critical review
of the literature," Psychological Bulletin, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 1-45, 1980.
[26] L.P. Nucci, "The development of moral reasoning," in Blackwell
handbook of childhood cognitive development, U. Goswami, Ed.
Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2002, pp. 303-325.
[27] A. Blasi, "Moral cognition and moral action: A theoretical perspective,"
Developmental Review, vol. 3, pp. 179-210, 1983.
[28] A. Blasi, "Kohlberg-s theory and moral motivation," New Directions for
Child Development, vol. 47, no.1, pp. 51-57, 1990.
[29] A. Colby and W. Damon, Some do care: Contemporary lives of moral
commitment. New York: Free Press, 1992.
[30] R. Bergman, "Why Be Moral? A Conceptual Model from
Developmental Psychology," Human Development, vol. 45, no. 2, pp.
104-124, 2002.
[31] A. Bandura, "Mechanism of moral disengagement," in Origins,
psychologies, ideologies, theologies of terrorism: States of mind, W.
Reich, Ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990, pp. 161-191.
[32] C. Gilligan, In a different voice: Psychological theory and women-s
development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.
[33] E. E. A. Skoe, "The ethic of care: Issues in moral development," in
Personality development in adolescence: A cross-national and life-span
perspective, E. E. Skoe and A. L. von der Lippe, Eds. London:
Routledge, 1998, pp.143-171.
[34] E. E. A. Skoe. and A.L. von der Lippe, "Ego development and the ethics
of care and justice: The relation among them revisited," Journal of
Personality, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 485-508, 2002.
[35] S. Jaffee and J. S. Hyde, "Gender differences in moral orientation: A
meta-analysis," Psychological Bulletin, vol. 126, no. 4, pp. 703-726,
2000.
[36] M. L. Hoffman, "Affective and cognitive processes in moral
internalization," in Social cognition and social development: A sociocultural
perspective, E. T. Higgins, D.N. Ruble, and W.W. Hartup, Eds.
Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1983, pp. 236-274.
[37] M. L. Hoffman, "Empathy and justice motivation," Motivation and
Emotion, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 151-172, 1990.
[38] M. L. Hoffman, Empathy and moral development: Implications for
caring and justice. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
[39] J. Haidt, "The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist
approach to moral judgment," Psychological Review, vol. 108, no. 4, pp.
814-834, 2001.
[40] J. Haidt, "The emotional dog does learn new tricks: A reply to Pizarro
and Bloom (2003)," Psychological Review, vol. 110, no. 1, 197-198,
2003.
[41] J. Haidt, "The emotional dog gets mistaken for a possum," Review of
General Psychology, vol. 8, no.4, pp. 283-290, 2004.
[42] D. A. Pizarro and A. Bloom, "The intelligence of the moral intuitions.
Comment on Haidt (2001),". Psychological Review, vol. 110, no. 1, pp.
193-196, 2003.
[43] D. L. Krebs and K. Denton, "Toward a more pragmatic approach to
morality: A critical evaluation of Kohlberg-s model," Psychological
Review, vol. 112, no. 3, pp. 629-649, 2005.
[44] D. L. Krebs and K. Denton, "Explanatory Limitations of Cognitive-
Developmental Approaches to Morality," Psychological Review, vol.
113, no. 3, pp. 672-675, 2006.
[45] O. Matarazzo, "Ragionamento e comportamento morale nella tarda
infanzia e in adolescenza (Moral reasoning and behaviour in late
childhood and adolescence), " in Legalità e mondo giovanile (Legality
and youth), A. M. Giannini and R. Sgalla, Eds. Roma: Carocci, 2008 (in
press).
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:62408", author = "O. Matarazzo and L. Abbamonte and G. Nigro", title = "Moral Reasoning and Behaviour in Adulthood", abstract = "This study aimed at assessing whether and to what extent moral judgment and behaviour were: 1. situation-dependent; 2. selectively dependent on cognitive and affective components; 3. influenced by gender and age; 4. reciprocally congruent. In order to achieve these aims, four different types of moral dilemmas were construed and five types of thinking were presented for each of them – representing five possible ways to evaluate the situation. The judgment criteria included selfishness, altruism, sense of justice, and the conflict between selfishness and the two moral issues. The participants were 250 unpaid volunteers (50% male; 50% female) belonging to two age-groups: young people and adults. The study entailed a 2 (gender) x 2 (age-group) x 5 (type of thinking) x 4 (situation) mixed design: the first two variables were betweensubjects, the others were within-subjects. Results have shown that: 1. moral judgment and behaviour are at least partially affected by the type of situations and by interpersonal variables such as gender and age; 2. moral reasoning depends in a similar manner on cognitive and affective factors; 3. there is not a gender polarity between the ethic of justice and the ethic of cure/ altruism; 4. moral reasoning and behavior are perceived as reciprocally congruent even though their congruence decreases with a more objective assessment. Such results were discussed in the light of contrasting theories on morality.
", keywords = "Contextual-pragmatic approach to morality, ethic ofcare, ethic of justice, Kohlbergian approach, moral behaviour, moralreasoning.", volume = "2", number = "8", pages = "941-8", }
