Moral emotions and the development of the moral self in childhood

Abstract

Researchers have been emphasizing the importance of moral emotions for young children's moral self. However, the relationship between children's moral self and moral emotions has never been investigated empirically. The present study examined the relationship between children's self-representations about (im)moral behaviour and moral emotions attributions in a sample of 132 elementary-school children (M _age = 8.39 years, SD = 2.50). Participants were presented a newly developed moral self measure, along with a measure of moral emotion attributions. Two dimensions of children's moral self-concept were identified: preference for prosocial behaviour and avoidance of antisocial behaviour. Results revealed a slight decrease in preference for prosocial behaviour with age, as well as an increased correlation between preference for prosocial behaviour and moral emotion attributions. Overall, findings suggest that moral emotions do not play a pivotal role for young children's moral self-concept. Children's moral self-concept becomes increasingly coordinated with moral emotions as they approach adolescence.

Keywords:

• Moral emotions
• Moral self
• Childhood

Notes

^1. A full list of the items as used in the present study is available from the first author upon request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tobias Krettenauer

The research presented in this paper was supported by a Standard Research Grant of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada to the first author.