ERIC Number: EJ1102444
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Age-Related Differences in Moral Identity across Adulthood
Krettenauer, Tobias; Murua, Lourdes Andrea; Jia, Fanli
Developmental Psychology, v52 n6 p972-984 Jun 2016
In this study, age-related differences in adults' moral identity were investigated. Moral identity was conceptualized a context-dependent self-structure that becomes differentiated and (re)integrated in the course of development and that involves a broad range of value-orientations. Based on a cross-sectional sample of 252 participants aged 14 to 65 years (148 women, M = 33.5 years, SD = 16.9) and a modification of the Good Self-Assessment, it was demonstrated that mean-level of moral identity (averaged across the contexts of family, school/work, and community) significantly increased in the adult years, whereas cross-context differentiation showed a nonlinear trend peaking at the age of 25 years. Value-orientations that define individuals' moral identity shifted so that self-direction and rule-conformity became more important with age. Age-related differences in moral identity were associated with, but not fully attributable to changes in personality traits. Overall, findings suggest that moral identity development is a lifelong process that starts in adolescence but expands well into middle age.
Descriptors: Age Differences, Moral Values, Identification (Psychology), Adolescents, Adults, Hypothesis Testing, Foreign Countries, Individual Characteristics, Questionnaires, Personality Traits, Social Desirability, Interviews, Personality Measures, Gender Differences, Socioeconomic Status, Regression (Statistics)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: NEO Five Factor Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A