The structure of moral character and the explanation of moral action
- 1 March 1975
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Vol. 4 (1) , 1-15
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01537797
Abstract
This article discusses the relationship between human rule systems and social action. It assumes that all meaningful behavior is rule-governed. If so, then individual differences in moral conduct can be explained in terms of differences in the manner in which people use, justify, and maintain rules. Specifically, moral behavior can be understood in terms of five dimensions: moral knowledge, style of moral judgment, socialization, empathy, and autonomy. Evidence is presented which suggests that these dimensions can be objectively assessed and that the model works reasonably well in predicting and explaining moral conduct.Keywords
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