A Qualitative Survey Examining the Moral Identities of Young Adults

AbstractMoral identity can orient one's behaviors when exhibiting any kind of moral behavior. In this study, the moral identities of young adults are analyzed to a certain extent. For this purpose, the 'interpretative phenomenological pattern' and 'grounded theory' models are used as qualitative survey models. The study group for this survey consists of 10 young adults, ages 20 through 25, who have been studying in a university. The semi-structured interview tool was used in the survey. The analytical process of gathered data was compiled into the Maxqda 2 computer program. The purpose of the study is to find information about the moral identities of young adults and the variables which form these identities. In the moral identities of young adults, self-assessment, personality traits, purpose and responsibilities, sense of self, self-control and moral emotions are variables affecting the ego and moral reasoning. Personality traits are formed by former, current and possible personality traits. Self-control consists of will and consciousness, whereas moral emotions consist of empathy, guilt, shame and anger. On the other hand, the variables affecting the self are formed by family, friends, other individuals, society, the place where one lives, culture, beliefs, university and law.Key WordsMoral Emotion, Moral Identity, Moral Reasoning, Young Adult.The moral identity of individuals can orient their behaviors. Therefore, examining the moral identity which is thought to lead exhibited behaviors is important. In this respect, it is seen that studies carried out on the moral development of individuals exist in great variety. These studies mainly express the moral development of individuals by focusing on the cognitive aspects of their development (Kohlberg, 1973, 1976, 1977; Piaget, 1932; Rest, Narvaez, Thoma, & Bebeau, 2000). One of the first and most important moral theories regarding moral development was put forth by Lawrence Kohlberg (1977). Kohlberg examined the corporeal morality by acknowledging the Piagetian paradigm. In his theory of Cognitive Moral Development, Kohlberg answered the question of what motivates the moral behavior by focusing on the role of the cognitive process (Kohlberg, & Candee, 1984; Rozin, Lowery, Imada, & Haidt 1999). Kohlberg (1977) explained moral reasoning by dividing it into levels as PreConventional Morality, Conventional Morality, and Post-Conventional Morality and then classifying these levels into various stages. When the levels and stages concerning this theory are examined, it can be seen that moral reasoning progresses towards autonomic reasoning away from the forms of external oriented judgment (Kohlberg, 1973, 1976, 1977). Individuals perceive themselves responsible for carrying out moral principles and this perception plays a motivational role on moral behavior (Colby, Kohlberg, Gibbs, & Lieberman, 1983). Reasoning concerning responsibility regulates what is good or right in moral aspects, moreover what is exactly necessary for the self. Even though Kohlberg did not explain this function of judgments concerning responsibility by using a conventional name, it is stated that the role of the self on moral behavior is emphasized through this specific function (Bergman, 2004). Another approach which has an important role on moral development is the Neo-Kohlbergian Approach, which was theorized by Rest et al. (2000) and within this context, moral judgement is conceptualized within the cognitive concept but rather than stage concepts, schema concepts are used to express moral reasoning. In this approach, schema indicate that mental structures such as religion or cultural ideology are permitted to interact with moral structures in cases where individuals encounter a need to make moral decisions. In later studies conducted on moral development, it can be seen that along with cognition, attention was turned towards emotions (Eisenberg, 2000; Ekman, 1992; Greene & Haidt, 2002; Prinz, 2006; Rozin et al. …