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Family Interactions and the Development of Moral Reasoning
Author(s) -
Walker Lawrence J.,
Taylor John H.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01530.x
Subject(s) - psychology , moral reasoning , moral development , social cognitive theory of morality , moral disengagement , moral dilemma , dilemma , developmental psychology , social psychology , child development , style (visual arts) , epistemology , philosophy , archaeology , history
The study examined parents' role in their children's moral reasoning development. Parents' level of moral reasoning and interaction styles used in discussion of moral issues with their child were used to predict the child's moral development over a subsequent 2‐year interval. Participants were 63 family triads (mother, father, and child) with children drawn from grades 1, 4, 7, and 10. They individually responded to a moral reasoning interview and then, as a family, discussed both a hypothetical and real‐life moral dilemma. Children were reinterviewed 2 years later. Results indicated that parents did accommodate to their child's level of moral reasoning when in actual dialogue. Distinct differences in interaction styles were found between the 2 contexts (hypothetical vs. real‐life dilemma discussion) and between parents and children. Children's moral development was best predicted by a parental discussion style that involved Socratic questioning and supportive interactions, combined with the presentation of higher‐level moral reasoning. Implications of these findings for the understanding of parents' role in children's moral development are discussed.