Erik Erikson’s value orientation stages: A longitudinal study of ethical identity development among kibbutz adolescents

Abstract

This study examined ethical development among kibbutz adolescents from the perspective of Erik Erikson’s model of value orientation stages. The purpose was threefold: to examine the longitudinal patterns of value-orientation stage change, to assess the impact of kibbutz education on value orientation development, and to clarify the empirical relationship between value orientation and moral judgment stages. The findings suggested that value-orientation stage change was gradual, upward, and with few regressions. Furthermore, there were no significant sex differences. The empirical relationship between value orientation and moral judgment stages varied from early adolescence to early adulthood underscoring the importance of a life-span perspective on moral development.