The development of moral shame indicates the emergence of moral identity in middle-childhood

ABSTRACT

The question of when moral identity first develops in childhood deserves more considered investigation. In this article, we examine the claim that moral identity first emerges in middle-childhood (8–12 years). An approach is taken here whereby a tendency to attribute moral shame under conditions entailing moral identity failure is considered as indicating the presence of an emerging moral identity. Differences in the emotion attributions (i.e., ashamed, guilty, scared) of 7- and 9-year-olds under moral and non-moral identity failure conditions were examined. Results showing that older children tended to attribute shame under all identity failure conditions while younger children did not, and furthermore that both age groups tended to attribute predominantly guilt under accidental harm conditions, lend weight to the suggestion that moral identity may first emerge in middle-childhood. Implications of this study and its novel approach are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• moral identity
• shame
• moral development
• moral emotions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Jess M. Kingsford

Jess M. Kingsford (PhD) completed her doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her research interests include moral identity development and moral education. She is currently developing an in-school program called Moral Wealth for Mental Health. The program is in the pilot phase at a local Blue Mountains primary school and is designed to facilitate moral identity development through the early adoption of moral habits and through identity feedback.

David J. Hawes

David Hawes (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia, and Codirector of the Child Behaviour Research Clinic at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia. His research interests include child conduct problems and mental health, and family-based interventions.

Marc de Rosnay

Marc de Rosnay is Professor of Child Development and Academic Director of Early Start at the University of Wollongong, Australia. In this role, he is leading transformational initiatives between the University and the community with the goal of improving educational and social opportunities for young children in regional, rural and remote contexts.