Moral Self-concept Research Articles

Inductive Discipline, Parental Expression of Disappointed Expectations, and Moral Identity in Adolescence

Within the fields of socialization and moral development, the relationship of parenting to adolescents' sense of morality and self has been understudied. This study investigated the relationships between perceived parental disciplinary techniques and moral identity among early and middle adolescents. Participants included 93 (54% female) 5th, 8th and 10th graders, as well as their mothers. Students completed self-report measures concerning their mothers' disciplinary techniques and moral self-concept; mothers reported specifically on parental discipline frequency. The parental discipline measure was structured in terms of Hoffman's typology of induction, love withdrawal, and power assertion. Adolescents reported the frequency of their mothers' disciplinary techniques, as well as their perceptions (fairness or appropriateness evaluations, emotional reactions) concerning their mothers' most frequently used technique. Parental induction (orienting the transgressor to the plight of the victim) and expression of disappointed expectations were viewed as more appropriate and responded to with more positive emotion and guilt relative to other disciplinary techniques (e.g., power assertion). In addition, parental use of inductive discipline (including parental disappointment) during the adolescent years related to higher moral identity, defined in terms of the ascription of specifically moral (e.g., fair, kind) over non-moral (e.g., athletic, smart) qualities to the self. In contrast, love withdrawal and power assertion did not relate to moral identity. The findings suggest that parental expression of disappointed expectations, especially when perceived favorably, plays an important role in the formation of moral identity during the adolescent years.

Compilation of Norm about the Scale of Self-Concept on Junior Middle School Students in the Northwest China Region

The purpose of this paper was to establish norm about the scale of self-concept on junior middle school students in the northwest China region by using the self-concept scale on junior middle school students in the northwest China region. The random samples of 1681 from Shannxi province, Gansu province, Ningxia autonomous region, Xinjiang autonomous region carried out the study. The results of the F test showed that there were significant differences in grade, gender, gender and grade interaction effect on most dimensions of self-concept. The study gave the norm of 10 factors about liberal arts self-concept, science self-concept, arts self-concept, family self-concept, friends self-concept, self-worth, mental and physical self-concept, appearance self-concept, conscience, honesty and second-order factors about academic self-concept, interpersonal self-concept, own self-concept, moral self-concept for the male and female students.

Distortions of Normativity

We discuss some implications of the Holocaust for moral philosophy. Our thesis is that morality became distorted in the Third Reich at the level of its social articulation. We explore this thesis in application to several front-line perpetrators who maintained false moral self-conceptions. We conclude that more than a priori moral reasoning is required to correct such distortions.

Self-concept and dangerous driving proclivity in male and female Israeli drivers

The aim of this paper was to see whether there is an association between drivers' self-concept, gender, and proclivity for dangerous driving. Participants' self-concept was measured using the brief Hebrew version of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS; Fitts, 1965). Tendency to commit traffic violations and to engage in dangerous driving was assessed using the Dangerous Driving Questionnaire (DDQ; Berger, 1995). The regression analysis showed that out of all TSCS scales only moral self-concept correlated significantly with general dangerous driving. In addition, ANOVA revealed that male drivers and drivers with low self-concept report more dangerous driving than do females and drivers with high self-concept, correspondingly. Results give evidence in favor of a hypothesis that low self-concept is connected to dangerous driving.

Us and Them: Identity and Genocide

Genocide is commonly deemed to be either inexplicable or the result of special hatreds. I argue instead that genocide is an extreme result of normal identity processes. Four overlapping phases are proposed. (1) Dichotomization elevates one dimension of identity over others and, within that dimension, sharply distinguishes two categories: us and them. This may lead to (2) dehumanization, in which “they” come to be seen not just as different from “us” but as outside the human universe of moral obligation. (3) Destruction may result, accompanied and followed by processes of (4) denial that enable the perpetrators to maintain their moral self-conceptions. These phases are illustrated with examples from the Holocaust, the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the Latin American dirty wars of the 1970s and 1980s, and the European conquest of the Americas. Us … … and them And after all we're only ordinary men Me … … and you God only knows it's not what we would choose to do —Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973 If you knew who I was and who you were, you would not have killed me. —Sign outside the Nyamata, Rwanda, Catholic Church, in which 10,000 people were killed on a single day in 1994 (Packer, 2002, p. 140).

The influence of development coordination disorder (DCD) on the self-concept and anxiety of 7-9 year-old children

Literature indicates that children who experience motor problems may have a lower self-concept (Skinner & Piek, 2001) as well as higher anxiety (Rose et al., 1999) than children without movement problems. The aim of this study was to determine whether Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) has an influence on 7-9 year old children's self-concept and anxiety and to determine whether the extent of their motor problems will influence their self-concept and anxiety differently. Teachers identified 201 potential DCD candidates. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) identified 66 with DCD (41 boys and 25 girls). Self-concept and anxiety were determined by the Tennessee Self- Concept Scale (Child Form) (Fitts & Warren, 1996) and Child Anxiety Scale (Gillis, 1980) respectively. A correlation matrix as well as independent t-tests were conducted in analyzing the results. Correlational analysis indicates relationships between motor proficiency, anxiety and self- concept. Children with moderate and severe DCD have normal anxiety but a non-significantly lower self-concept score than what is indicated as the normal range. Children with severe and moderate DCD do not, however, differ statistically significantly from one another with regard to anxiety and self-concept. Girls with severe DCD have a moderately significantly lower moral self- concept (p=0.09) than girls with moderate DCD. The results show that the self-concept of children between 7 and 9 years of age are negatively influenced by DCD. However, the severity of their motor problems does not influence their self- concept and anxiety differently, although a tendency of this was found among the girls, especially with regard to their moral self-concept. Keywords : self-concept, children, DCD African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance Vol. 12 (3) 2006: 310-322

The self-importance of moral identity.

Recent theorizing in moral psychology extends rationalist models by calling attention to social and cultural influences (J. Haidt, 2001). Six studies using adolescents, university students, and adults measured the associations among the self-importance of moral identity, moral cognitions, and behavior. The psychometric properties of the measure were assessed through an examination of the underlying factor structure (Study 1) and convergent, nomological, and discriminant validity analyses (Studies 2 and 3). The predictive validity of the instrument was assessed by examinations of the relationships among the self-importance of moral identity, various psychological outcomes, and behavior (Studies 4, 5, and 6). The results are discussed in terms of models of moral behavior, social identity measurement, and the need to consider moral self-conceptions in explaining moral conduct.

Development of a Self-Theory and Measurement Scale

In this study, we examined a theoretical model of self-development and a scale to measure 12 aspects of the self. The theory, called developmental self-theory, proposes a hierarchical arrangement of dimensions of the self. The 12 scales are collectively called the Omnibus Self-Test and measure Self-Esteem, Positive Self-Regard, Moral Self-Concept, Self-Confidence, Self-Reliance, Self-Control, Selfishness, Self-Disclosure, Self-as-Agent, Self-Critical, Self-Identity, and Self-Reflection. Preliminary data on the reliability and validity of the Omnibus Self-Test is reported along with intercorrelations among the scales.