Moral Development in a Global World

Research from a Cultural-Developmental Perspective

Lene Arnett Jensen

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781107037144
• eBook ISBN:
  9781316308790
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Ethnopsychology
• Index: Psychology

Questions addressing people's moral lives, similarities and differences in the moral concepts of cultural groups, and how these concepts emerge in the course of development are of perennial interest. In a globalizing world, addressing what is universal and what is culturally distinctive about moral development is pressing. More than ever, well-substantiated knowledge of diverse peoples' moral compasses is needed. This book presents the cultural-developmental theory of moral psychology, findings from numerous countries, and four instruments for conducting cultural-developmental research. The central thesis is that humans are born with a shared moral heritage and that, as we develop from childhood into adulthood, we branch off in diverse directions shaped by culture - resulting in novelty and contention. An international group of eminent and cutting-edge scholars from anthropology, psychology, and linguistics addresses this timely topic and explores how gender, social class, and 'culture wars' between liberals and conservatives play into moral development across cultures.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of contributors
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Theorizing and researching moral development in a global world
• 2 Divinity in children's moral development: an Indian perspective
• 3 Finnish moral landscapes: a comparison of nonreligious, liberal religious, and conservative religious adolescents
• 4 An Indian moral worldview: developmental patterns in adolescents and adults
• 5 Moral worldviews of American religious emerging adults: three patterns of negotiation between development and culture
• 6 Investigating the three ethics in emerging adulthood: a study in five countries
• 7 The dynamics of ethical co-occurrence in Hmong and American evangelical families: new directions for Three Ethics research
• 8 How liberals and conservatives are alike and apart: a research autobiography
• Commentaries
• Appendices
• Index