E-Book Overview
Moral notions are foundational questions that have commanded deep reflection since antiquity, reflection that psychological science cannot evade, because the moral formation of children is a central concern of parents, schools, and communities charged with educating the next generation. In this respect there are few domains of study more crucial than moral psychology and few topics of greater importance than the development of moral self-identity, of moral character, and of the moral personality. This edited volume features the expertise of preeminent scholars in moral personality, self, and identity, such as moral philosophers, personality theorists, developmental psychologists, moral personality researchers, social psychologists, and neuroscientists. It brings together cutting-edge work in moral psychology that illustrates an impressive diversity of theoretical perspectives and methodologies and simultaneously points the way toward promising integrative possibilities.
E-Book Content
This page intentionally left blank
Personality, Identity, and Character Moral notions are foundational questions that have commanded deep reflection since antiquity, reflection that psychological science cannot evade, because the moral formation of children is a central concern of parents, schools, and communities charged with educating the next generation. In this respect there are few domains of study more crucial than moral psychology, and few topics of greater importance than the development of moral self-identity, of moral character, and of the moral personality. Heretofore, the fragmented research on moral personality has been mostly a study of cognition without desires, rationality without brains, agents without contexts, selves without culture, traits without persons, persons without attachments, dispositions without development. This edited volume features the expertise of preeminent scholars in moral personality, self, and identity, such as moral philosophers, personality theorists, developmental psychologists, moral personality researchers, social psychologists, and neuroscientists. It brings together cutting-edge work in moral psychology that illustrates an impressive diversity of theoretical perspectives and methodologies, and simultaneously points the way toward promising integrative possibilities. Darcia Narvaez is an Associate Professor in Psychology, specializing in moral development and character education, at the University of Notre Dame and directs the university’s Collaborative for Ethical Education. She is coeditor of The Handbook on Moral and Character Education (with Larry Nucci), Moral Development in the Professions: Psychology and Applied Ethics (with James Rest), and coauthor or coeditor of the award-winning books Postconventional Moral Thinking: A NeoKohlbergian Approach (with James Rest, Muriel Bebeau, and Stephen Thoma) and Moral Development, Self, and Identity (with Daniel Lapsley). Narvaez was the leader of the design team for the Minnesota Community Voices and Character Education Project. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Educational Psychology and the Journal of Moral Education. Daniel K. Lapsley is the ACE Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author or editor of seven books, including Moral Psychology, and of numerous articles and chapters on various topics in child and adolescent development – particularly in the areas of social cognition, personality development, moral psychology, and moral education. He is coeditor of the award-winning book Moral Development, Self, and Identity (with Darcia Narvaez). He currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Educational Psychology and the Journal of Early Adolescence.
For our parents, M axine, Richard, C orrin e, Thomas
Pe