What follows is an interview with William Damon and Anne Colby, pioneers in the fields of moral psychology and education. Throughout their careers, they have studied, moral identity, moral ideals, positive youth development, purpose, good work, vocation, character development in higher education, and professional responsibility. In their words,…

A paucity of literature exists on the processes of character development within diverse contexts. In this article, the authors use the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA) as a sample case for understanding character development processes within an institution of higher education. The authors present a discussion of relational…

This chapter uses moral psychology to illustrate why exemplar methods are essential for building a valid, complete understanding of key domains of human development. Social psychological, economic, and biological-evolutionary paradigms for studying morality rely on samples drawn from the general population. This research reveals a bleak picture of…

The author describes two 9th grade experiences that began his transformation from a lackadaisical student into a motivated learner. In the first incident, a word of advice from a teacher made him aware that his actions mattered. In the second, his engagement in writing a story for the school newspaper taught him the power of discovering new…

In order to investigate the relationship between the development of justice (moral) conceptions and the development of mathematical and physical (logical) conceptions, 50 children(ages 4-8) were administered a "positive justice" interview and five of Piaget's concrete-operational mathematical and physical tasks. (Author/CS)

To study the influence of peer interaction on children's moral development, children ages five to nine were videotaped in triads during peer discussions of a distributive justice problem. Discussions were analyzed to determine the social-interactional characteristics of children who advanced during the peer encounter. Implications for theories of…

Noting that our culture has accepted some dangerous beliefs about raising children which is resulting in a generation of poorly educated, apathetic, and amoral children, this book discusses the moral development of children. Drawing on ground-breaking research and the author's years of work in schools, the book presents a program to reintroduce…

This paper describes the development of measures of young children's social thinking, particularly as applied to moral problems. The Kohlberg procedure of presenting problems and dilemmas to children was adopted, but the Kohlberg dilemmas were found to seem remote to children younger than 10 years of age, and incomprehensible to children younger…

Recounts that studies of adolescent conduct have found that exemplary and antisocial behavior can be predicted by the manner in which their moral concerns are integrated into their descriptions of self. Proposes a new method, "The Youth Charter," for promoting adolescent self-identification with a coherent set of moral standards. (DSK)

The author presents an overview of social development, including new findings concerning moral development and self-differentiation. Emphasis is placed on the role of peer interactions, rather than adult authority, in shaping and advancing the child's self-constructed moral values. (Editor/SJL)

This book introduces the concept of a youth charter -- a communication strategy that can help young people understand the reactions of others to their behavior. Such charters identify a community's standards and expectations for young people's behavior and created occasions for imparting these standards and expectations to the young. The process…

Argues that most school-based moral education programs focus exclusively on moral reflection and neglect the influence of moral habit, effect, and commitment. Advocates schools joining with families, churches, community organizations, and other institutions to provide a clear and coherent set of expectations for young people. (MJP)