Morality - The Task of Caregivers? The Role of Parenting for the Moral Self and Moral Identity in Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

ABSTRACT The terms moral self and moral identity are sometimes used synonymously. Attempts to differentiate the concepts of moral self and moral identity across age groups have been made theoretically, but rarely empirically. In theoretical discourses, the moral self was seen more as a precursor construct in childhood for moral identity in adolescence. Empirical delineation of these two age groups (childhood and adolescence) has received less attention. The present study aims to compare these two groups (children and adolescents) and examines the role of parenting styles for moral self in childhood and moral identity in adolescence, and prosocial behavior to add to this research gap. A total of 391 first- to eleventh-grade students (196 children and 195 adolescents) from public primary and secondary schools in Germany participated in the study. A comparison of the two models (children and adolescents) shows significant differences in the postulated path models. While parental warmth evokes significant associations in childhood, the path model for adolescents only reveals significant associations with parental strictness.