Developmental Trends: Moral Reasoning and Behavior at Different Age Levels

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Infancy (Birth–2)

What You Might Observe:

• Reactions of distress when witnessing aggressive behavior
• Acquisition of some standards for behavior (e.g., saying “uh-oh!” after knocking over and breaking an object)

Diversity:

• In the second year, children begin to label objects and events in ways that reflect culture-specific standards (e.g., good, bad, dirty, boo boo).
• Some toddlers begin to show distress about certain behaviors (e.g., damaging a valuable object) late in the second year.

Implications:

• Consistently discourage behaviors that cause harm or distress to others (e.g., hitting or biting peers).
• Acknowledge undesirable events (e.g., spilled milk or a broken object), but don’t communicate that children are somehow inadequate for having caused them.

Early Childhood (2–6)

What You Might Observe:

• Some awareness that behaviors causing physical or psychological harm are morally wrong
• Guilt for some misbehaviors (e.g., damaging a valuable object)
• Greater concern for one’s own needs than for those of others; complaining “It’s not fair” when one’s own needs aren’t met

Diversity:

• Some cultures emphasize early training in moral values; for example, in many Hispanic communities, a child who is bien educado (literally, “well educated”) knows right from wrong and behaves accordingly.
• Children who show greater evidence of guilt about transgressions are more likely to adhere to rules for behavior.
• At ages 2 and 3, girls are more likely to show guilt than boys; boys catch up at about age 4.

Implications:

• Make standards for behavior very clear.
• When children misbehave, give reasons why such behaviors are unacceptable, focusing on the harm and distress they have caused others (see the discussion on induction in the upcoming section “Use of Reasons and Rationales”).

Middle Childhood (6–10)

What You Might Observe:

• Sense of distributive justice increasingly taking into account people’s differing contributions, needs, and special circumstances (e.g., people with disabilities might get a larger share)
• Increasing empathy for unknown individuals who are suffering or needy
• Feelings of shame as well as guilt for moral wrongdoings

Diversity:

• Some cultures place greater emphasis on ensuring individuals’ rights and needs, whereas others place greater value on the welfare of the community as a whole.
• Children whose parents explain why certain behaviors are unacceptable show more advanced moral development.

Implications:

• Talk about how rules enable classrooms and other group situations to run more smoothly.
• Present simple moral dilemmas similar to circumstances children might encounter themselves (e.g., “What should a girl do when she has forgotten her lunch money and finds a dollar bill on the floor under a classmate’s desk?”).

Early Adolescence (10–14)

What You Might Observe:

• Some tendency to think of rules and conventions as standards that should be followed for their own sake
• Tendency to believe that distressed individuals (e.g., the homeless) are entirely responsible for their own fate

Diversity:

• Sometime around puberty, some youngsters begin to incorporate moral traits into their overall sense of self.
• Youngsters’ religious beliefs (e.g., their beliefs in an afterlife) influence their judgments about what behaviors are morally right and wrong.

Implications:

• Involve adolescents in group projects that will benefit their school or community.
• Encourage adolescents to think about how society’s laws and practices affect people in need (e.g., the poor, the sick, the elderly).
• When imposing discipline for moral transgressions, point out harm caused to others (doing so is especially important when youngsters have deficits in empathy and moral reasoning).

Late Adolescence (14–18)

What You Might Observe:

• Understanding that rules and conventions help society run more smoothly
• Increasing concern about doing one’s duty and abiding by the rules of society as a whole rather than simply pleasing certain authority figures
• Genuine empathy for people in distress
• Belief that society has an obligation to help those in need

Diversity:

• For some older adolescents, high moral values are a central part of their overall identity; these individuals often show a strong commitment to helping those less fortunate than themselves.
• Adolescents who have less advanced moral reasoning—especially those who focus on their own needs almost exclusively (i.e., preconventional reasoners)—are more likely to engage in antisocial activities.

Implications:

• Explore moral issues in social studies, science, and literature.
• Give teenagers a political voice in decision making about rules at school and elsewhere.