Morality - The Task of Caregivers? The Role of Parenting for the Moral Self and Moral Identity in Childhood and Adolescence

ABSTRACT

The terms moral self and moral identity are sometimes used synonymously. Attempts to differentiate the concepts of moral self and moral identity across age groups have been made theoretically, but rarely empirically. In theoretical discourses, the moral self was seen more as a precursor construct in childhood for moral identity in adolescence. Empirical delineation of these two age groups (childhood and adolescence) has received less attention. The present study aims to compare these two groups (children and adolescents) and examines the role of parenting styles for moral self in childhood and moral identity in adolescence, and prosocial behavior to add to this research gap. A total of 391 first- to eleventh-grade students (196 children and 195 adolescents) from public primary and secondary schools in Germany participated in the study. A comparison of the two models (children and adolescents) shows significant differences in the postulated path models. While parental warmth evokes significant associations in childhood, the path model for adolescents only reveals significant associations with parental strictness.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethics Approval Statement

This study was approved by the responsible Institutional Review Board. The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Financial support

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2024.2376181

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Neele Bäker

Dr. Neele Bäker a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. Her research focuses on moral development, as well as callous-unemotional traits and aggressive/bullying behaviors in youth.

Jessica Wilke

Jessica Wilke is doctoral researcher in the Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation at the Carl vonOssietzky Universitaet of Oldenburg. Her research focuses on moral development, self-regulation and behavior problems in middlechildhood