Moral Identity
Development
Moral Development
First published: 15 May 2015
Abstract
This essay reviews theory and research on moral identity. The construct emerged roughly three decades ago in moral psychology as a possible motivational factor that could link moral judgments to moral actions. Moral identity is, generally speaking, the extent to which being a moral person is important to a person's identity. However, it has been conceptualized and measured in various ways. In this essay, conceptualizations of moral identity, as well as foundational empirical research on moral identity development and links between moral identity and behavior, are reviewed. Little is known about moral identity development, but moral identity has fairly consistently been found predictive of moral action using a variety of research methods. In addition, cutting-edge research on new areas of theory is highlighted, and promising directions for future research are outlined. Cutting-edge work deals with new ways to conceptualize and measure moral identity, mechanisms of influence, links to broader outcomes, situational variation in moral identity, and implicit aspects of moral identity. Promising future directions are expanding on these emerging directions, as well as looking at developmental processes, cultural variability, and the role of relationships.
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Further Reading
- Blasi, A. (2004). Moral functioning: Moral understanding and personality. In D. K. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self, and identity (pp. 335–347). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Colby, A., & Damon, W. (1992). Some do care: contemporary lives of moral commitment. New York, NY: Free Press.
- Frimer, J. A., & Walker, L. J. (2009). Reconciling the self and morality: An empirical model of moral centrality development. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1669–1681. doi:10.1037/a0017418
-
Hardy, S. A., & Carlo, G. (2011). Moral identity. S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 495–513). New York, NY: Springer.
10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_19 Google Scholar
- Hart, D. (2005). The development of moral identity. In G. Carlo & C. P. Edwards (Eds.), Nebraska Symposium on motivation: Moral development through the lifespan: Theory, research, and application (pp. 165–196). Lincoln, OR: University of Nebraska Press.
- Krettenauer, T. (2013). Revisiting the moral self construct: Developmental perspectives on moral selfhood. In B. Sokol, U. F. Grouzet & U. Müller (Eds.), Self-regulation and autonomy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Lapsley, D. K. (2008). Moral self-identity as the aim of education. In L. P. Nucci & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Handbook of moral and character education (pp. 30–52). New York, NY: Routledge.
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Lapsley, D. K., & Narvaez, D. (2004). A social-cognitive approach to the moral personality. In D. K. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self, and identity (pp. 189–212). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
10.4324/9781410610256-13 Google Scholar
- Shao, R., Aquino, K., & Freeman, D. (2008). Beyond moral reasoning: A review of moral identity research and its implications for business ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 18, 513–540.
- Thompson, R. A. (2009). Early foundations: Conscience and the development of moral character. In D. Narvaez & D. Lapsley (Eds.), Personality, identity, and character: Explorations in moral psychology (pp. 159–184). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
- Walker, L. J. (2004). Gus in the gap: Bridging the judgment-action gap in moral functioning. In D. K. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self, and identity. (pp. 1–20). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
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