The nature of people's moral lives, the similarities and differences in the moral concepts of individuals and groups, and how these concepts emerge in the course of human development are topics of perennial interest. In recent years, the field of moral development has turned from a focus on a limited set of theories to a refreshingly vast array of research questions and methods. This handbook offers a comprehensive, international, and up-to-date review of this research on moral development. Drawing together the work of over 90 authors, hailing from diverse disciplines such as anthropology, education, human development, psychology and sociology, the handbook reflects the dynamic nature of the field. Across more than 40 chapters, this handbook opens the door to a broad view of moral motives and behaviors, ontogeny and developmental pathways, and contexts that children, adolescents, and adults experience with respect to morality. It offers a comprehensive and timely tour of the field of moral development.

The Oxford Handbook of Parenting and Moral Development provides a collection of state-of-the-art theories and research on the role that parents play in moral development. Contributors who are leaders in their fields take a comprehensive, yet nuanced approach to considering the complex links between parenting and moral development. The volume begins by providing an overview of traditional and contemporary perspectives on parenting and moral development, including perspectives related to parenting styles, domain theory, attachment theory, and evolutionary theory. In addition, there are several chapters that explore the genetic and biological influences related to parenting and moral development. The second section of the volume explores cultural and religious approaches to parenting and moral development and contributes examples of contemporary research with diverse populations such as Muslim cultures and US Latino/as. The last major section of the volume examines recent developments and approaches to parenting, including chapters on topics such as helicopter parenting, proactive parenting, parent-child conversations and disclosure, parental discipline, and other parenting practices designed to inhibit children's antisocial and aggressive behaviors. The volume draws together the most important work in the field; it is essential reading for anyone interested in parenting and moral development.

Despite often simplistic, black-and-white portrayals of good and evil, children and adolescents face complicated moral issues that can raise more questions than answers. Becoming aware of what constitutes morality is only the first step in determining a course of action, identifying and avoiding problems, and building communities that nurture morality. Young people learn to define and respond to moral dilemmas by interacting with and observing numerous sources. They acquire knowledge from family members, teachers, church leaders, peers, and members of neighborhood organizations. Raising themes of cultural pluralism, responsibility, complexity, affectivity, and practicality, Nurturing Morality addresses such issues as: - Definitions of morality that link past and current debates, enabling a more thorough understanding of moral functioning. - Personal responsibilities and impediments to moral functioning. - How societal structures can facilitate or inhibit moral agency and development. - The importance of acknowledging the common good as well as individual accomplishments. - Nurturing morality through wisdom. Drawing from a wide range of independent research programs, Nurturing Morality makes clear that most forms of human interaction are laden with moral content. It highlights thorny and complex moral questions that cannot be resolved by simple adherence to moral rules. And on the basis of empirically grounded findings, contributors to this volume provide recommendations for how adults can offer valuable guidance to young people learning to negotiate life in a global society. For clinicians, researchers, and students, Nurturing Morality provides much-needed insight and advice on young people’s moral development.

Although most American children are raised in a faith tradition, by the time they reach their early twenties their outward religious expression declines significantly, with many leaving the faith in which they were raised in favor of another faith or none at all, though many still claim that religion and spirituality are important. Reasons for this change in religious behavior include adolescents' forging their own identities, increased immersion in contexts beyond the family, and exposure to media. As emerging adults encounter events such as attending university, breaking up with a romantic partner, and traveling, they are likely to make sense out of them, a process known as meaning-making. Thus, coming into one's own takes on great prominence during the years of emerging adulthood (18-29), making it ripe for religious and spiritual development. Emerging Adults' Religiousness and Spirituality seeks to understand how the developmental process of meaning-making encompasses American emerging adults' religiousness and spirituality. This volume does not focus on disentangling religion and spirituality conceptually, but rather emphasizes their centrality in the psychology of human development. It highlights the range of experiences and perspectives of emerging adults in the U.S. grounded in social context, social position, and religious or spiritual identification. Chapters are written by an interdisciplinary group of authors and explore topics such as the benefits and detriments of religiousness and spirituality to emerging adults; contexts and socializing agents such as parents and peers, the media, religious communities, and universities; and variations of religiousness and spirituality concerning gender, sexuality, culture, and social position. Using a developmental lens and focusing on a significant period within the lifespan, this volume embodies the key aspects of a developmental perspective by highlighting specific domains of development while considering themes of continuity and discontinuity across the lifespan.

This Handbook draws together leading social scientists in the world from multiple disciplines to articulate what is known and needs to be known about spiritual development in childhood and adolescence.

Examines how learning and teaching morality in Tanzania's faith-oriented schools is inextricably interwoven with the complex power relations of an interconnected world.