The relationship of moral value evaluation with externalizing behaviour across value areas in adolescents

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that higher levels of moral value evaluation (i.e., the attribution of importance to moral values) are consistently correlated with less externalizing behaviour in adolescents. The current study further investigates this relationship in a community sample of adolescents (N = 216, 100 males, M_AGE = 15.2, SD_AGE = 1.3), while differentiating between value areas (i.e., clusters of affiliated values: contract, truth andaffiliation; life and property, lawandlegal justice) and between delinquent and antisocial behaviour. Higher levels of moral value evaluation for the property, lawandlegal justice area were associated with less delinquent and antisocial behaviour, while controlling for gender and age. Contrastingly, the area contract, truthand affiliation was not associated with delinquent or antisocial behaviour, and life was positively associated with antisocial behaviour. Implications for the nature of moral value evaluation and previous research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Moral value evaluation
• Value areas
• Externalizing behaviour
• Delinquent behaviour
• Antisocial behaviour
• Adolescents

The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers, Dr T. Geurts, Dr A.M. Hazekamp, A. Knoppersen, MSc, and Drs N. Tollenaar for their contributions to the paper. The contents of this paper do not necessarily reflect any views or opinions of the WODC or Ministry of Security and Justice; this paper is published on the first author's own accord.

Notes

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.