Moral identity as moral ideal self: Links to adolescent outcomes.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to conceptualize moral identity as moral ideal self, to develop a measure of this construct, to test for age and gender differences, to examine links between moral ideal self and adolescent outcomes, and to assess purpose and social responsibility as mediators of the relations between moral ideal self and outcomes. Data came from a local school sample (Data Set 1: N = 510 adolescents; 10-18 years of age) and a national online sample (Data Set 2: N = 383 adolescents; 15-18 years of age) of adolescents and their parents. All outcome measures were parent-report (Data Set 1: altruism, moral personality, aggression, and cheating; Data Set 2: environmentalism, school engagement, internalizing, and externalizing), whereas other variables were adolescent-report. The 20-item Moral Ideal Self Scale showed good reliability, factor structure, and validity. Structural equation models demonstrated that, even after accounting for moral identity internalization, in Data Set 1 moral ideal self positively predicted altruism and moral personality and negatively predicted aggression, whereas in Data Set 2 moral ideal self positively predicted environmentalism and negatively predicted internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Further, purpose and social responsibility mediated most relations between moral ideal self and the outcomes in Data Set 2. Moral ideal self was unrelated to age but differentially predicted some outcomes across age. Girls had higher levels of moral ideal self than boys, although moral identity did not differentially predict outcomes between genders. Thus, moral ideal self is a salient element of moral identity and may play a role in morally relevant adolescent outcomes.

What Develops in Moral Identities? A Critical Review

“…A sum score is derived that reflects the self-importance of moral values (sometimes in absolute terms, sometimes relative to non-moral values). Whereas the standard model would imply a positive correlation between moral identity and adolescents' or young adults' age, this score was repeatedly found to be unrelated to age in several large-scale cross-sectional studies as well as two longitudinal studies covering the age period of mid to late adolescence [Hardy, 2006;Hardy, Walker, Olsen, Woodbury, & Hickman, 2014;Hardy, Walker, Rackham, & Olsen, 2012;Krettenauer, 2011;Pratt, Hunsberger, Pancer, & Alisat, 2003].…”

Moral Identity Development and Positive Moral Emotions: Differences Involving Authentic and Hubristic Pride

“…Arnold, 1993;Hardy, 2006;Hardy, Walker, Olsen, Woodbury, & Hickman, 2014;Hardy, Walker, Rackham, & Olsen, 2012;Krettenauer, 2011;Pratt, Hunsberger, & Pancer, 2003). Effects of age normally do not emerge in studies with young adults, even when the well-validated measure developed by Aquino and Reed (2002) is used (Gu, 2011;Matherne & Litchfield, 2012;McFerran, Aquino, & Duffy, 2010;O'Fallon & Butterfield, 2011;Reynolds, Dang, Yam, & Leavitt, 2014).…”

“…Effects of age normally do not emerge in studies with young adults, even when the well-validated measure developed by Aquino and Reed (2002) is used (Gu, 2011;Matherne & Litchfield, 2012;McFerran, Aquino, & Duffy, 2010;O'Fallon & Butterfield, 2011;Reynolds, Dang, Yam, & Leavitt, 2014). As a consequence, researchers openly have conceded that common measures of moral identity may not be sensitive to developmental change (Hardy et al, 2014).…”

Moral Identity and Developmental Theory

“…It opened up possibilities for engaging other psychological literatures, particularly those regarding personality and cognition, with the goal of deriving robust integrative models of moral functioning [Lapsley & Stey, 2014]. It is implicated in research on the moral ideal self [Hardy, Walker, Olsen, Woodbury, & Hickman, 2014], moral exemplars [e.g., Colby & Damon, 1992;Walker & Frimer, 2007], and social-cognitive accounts of moral personality [Aquino & Reed, 2002;Lapsley & Narvaez, 2004].…”