ERIC Number: EJ1149301
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1543-1223
EISSN: N/A
Reflections on Murray, Lapsley, and Educating for Character in the 21st Century
Lickona, Thomas
Journal of Character Education, v10 n1 p23-30 2014
In this article, Thomas Lickona, director of the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect and Responsibility) and professor emeritus, School of Education, at the State University of New York at Cortland, provides his reflections on The "Coming Apart of America's Civic Culture" (Charles Murray), and "The Promise and Peril of Coming of Age in the 21st Century"(Daniel Lapsley) published in this issue of "Journal of Character Education." He writes that the essays by Murray and Lapsley call to mind three categories of evidence that both confirm the formidable challenges they describe and illuminate particular aspects of those challenges that will require greater attention if we are serious about developing a culture of character and citizens of character in the 21st century. Those three data sources are: (1) recent research on character trends in emerging adults; (2) mounting social science evidence regarding the impact of the structure and stability of families on children's well-being and development; and (3) accumulating indicators of the problematic consequences of the large-scale transformation in American sexual norms and behavior that followed the sexual revolution. Drawing on "Lost in Transition: The Dark Side of Emerging Adulthood" (Smith, Christoffersen, Davidson, & Herzog, 2011), Lickona paints a grim portrait of 18-23 year olds that includes rising materialism, less concern for developing a life philosophy, and declining interest in public affairs. Lickona argues that helping families strengthen family life is one concrete way character education can help reverse some of the negative trends evident from Smith et al.'s (2011) research.
Descriptors: Citizenship Education, College Faculty, Essays, Individual Characteristics, Research, Social Science Research, Family Influence, Well Being, Child Development, Social Influences, Sexuality, Social Attitudes, Late Adolescents, Young Adults, Marriage
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A