Towards a holistic study of morality

Abstract

The to date studies of morality do not provide a holistic picture of a moral person since they most often rely only upon some dimensions of morality neglecting the others. The same goes for leading theoretical orientations in the psychology of moral, such as psychoanalysis, theories of learning and cognitive-development theory. Each enters into one of the dimensions only thus reducing the domain of morality either to moral emotions, moral behavior or to moral thinking. Rest is severely critical and considers those single-dimensional theories of morality unsustainable but also goes one step further. Instead of widely adopted division into emotional, behavioral and cognitive sides of morality, Rest offers his own model of 'four components of morality'. Internal processes in question are 'responsible' for moral behavior, that is they are leading to moral action. It is pointed out that there are numerous cognitive-affective interactions and that internal processes are affected by many situational factors without exerting equal influence on all people. Moral behavior can be expected only if four components are developed and act in harmony. Despite being insufficiently developed, Rest's model reveals possible ways for overcoming 'fallacy' and points to research trends that would lead to a more complete and holistic picture of moral development and moral behavior.