Title

Integrating Thomistic Virtue Ethics with an Eriksonian Identity Development Perspective: A New Moral Identity Assessment

Department/School

Philosophy

Date

2021

Document Type

Article

Keywords

moral identity, virtue ethics, adolescence, emerging adulthood

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2019.1691511

Abstract

Psychologists have broadly conceptualized moral identity as the degree to which one prioritizes and defines oneself in terms of moral goals, values, and commitments. We offer a new moral identity measure: one that integrates philosophical ethical theory with an Eriksonian identity perspective specific to adolescence and emerging adulthood. Participants (N = 215) completed our new measure along with four other measures of moral behaviors and motivations. Participants formed unique clusters based on (a) choosing Thomistic virtues versus choosing non-virtues, and (b) the degree to which they reflected upon and committed to their chosen virtues/non-virtues. We found expected group differences among the clusters in integrity and civic engagement motivation, providing evidence of validity. Our new measure offers a promising approach to moral education for adolescents and emerging adults.

Published in

Journal of Moral Education

Citation/Other Information

Bock, Tonia, Heidi Giebel, Taylor Hazelbaker, and Logan Tufte. "Integrating Thomistic virtue ethics with an Eriksonian identity development perspective: A new moral identity assessment." Journal of Moral Education 50, no. 2 (2021): 185-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2019.1691511.

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