Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)
Lesson 28 : Emergence of Morality and Personality during Adolescence
Inner Control of Behavior
Since parents and teachers cannot watch adolescents as closely as they did when they were children, adolescents must now assume the responsibility of controlling their own behavior. Fear – either of punishment or of social disapproval is the best deterrent to wrong-dong. Today it is recognized that “outer-controlled” sources of motivation are effective.
Studies of juvenile delinquents, for example, have revealed that punishment not only does not deter willful wrongdoing but also often contributes to it. There is also evidence that fear of being shamed loses its effectiveness as a deterrent to misbehavior when there is little likelihood that others will know of the misbehavior, or if individuals feel they will be able to rationalize their actions or project the blame on others, and thus avoid punishment or social disapproval.
Development of a conscience:
Studies of moral development have emphasized that the only effective way people of any age can control their own behavior is through the development of a conscience – an inner force that makes external controls unnecessary. When children or adolescents learn to associate pleasant emotions with group-approved behavior and unpleasant emotions with group-disapproved behavior, they will have the necessary motivation to behave in accordance with group standards. Under such conditions, individuals feel guilty when they realize that their behavior is falling below social expectations, while shame is aroused only when they are aware of unfavorable judgments of their behavior by members of the social group. Behavior that is controlled by guilt is thus inner-controlled while that controlled by shame is outer-controlled.
In morally mature individuals, both guilt and shame are present. However, guilt plays a more important role than shame in controlling the individual’s behavior in the absence of external control.
FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN MORALITY DURING ADOLESCENCE
The individual’s moral outlook becomes progressively more abstract and less concrete.
Moral convictions become more concerned with what is right and less concerned with what is wrong. Justice emerges as a dominant moral force.
Moral judgment becomes increasingly cognitive. This encourages the adolescent to analyze social and personal codes more vigorously than during childhood and to decide on moral issues.
Moral judgment becomes less egocentric.
Moral judgment becomes psychologically expensive in the sense that it takes an emotional tool and creates psychological tension.
Participants