Ψυχολογικοί και κοινωνικοψυχολογικοί συσχετιστικοί παράγοντες της ηθικότητας στην εφηβεία: τυπολογική προσέγγιση

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to explore the moral schemas of adolescents in relation to psychological and social-psychological factors. The theoretical background derives from the neo-Kolbergian approach, which proposes four psychological processes of moral behavior (moral sensitivity, moral motivation, moral character, moral judgment) and three operating levels of moral judgment (codes of conduct, intermediate beliefs, moral schemas). In addition, we rely on the assumption that morality, like every developmental goal, is shaped by the dynamic interplay of individual/psychological and social psychological factors. A person-centered approach was adopted. Apart from the adolescents’ moral schemas, measures also included psychological identity, behavioral autonomy, locus of control, and beliefs about justice. The sample consisted of 369 Senior High School students (58% female, 77% living in the wider Athens metropolitan area). The psychometric tools were drawn from recent international studies and were culturally adapted into Greek. The results generally confirmed the main research hypotheses. More complex moral schemas were associated with more mature psychological identity types, higher behavioral autonomy with parental consent, internal locus of control, and lower general belief in a just world.