NCJ Number
76398
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1981) Pages: 79-93
Date Published
1981
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The moral development of delinquent and nondelinquent adolescents was investigated in both male and female subjects from middle and lower socioeconomic class backgrounds using a morality test for children.
Abstract
The subjects were 249 children aged 13 to 17 living in Israel. Delinquent subjects were drawn only from a lower class sample; middle class delinquents were not available for testing. The subjects completed a morality test for children which included measures of resistance of temptation, moral stage of development, feelings after offense, judgment about the severity of punishment, and confession. In most measures of moral development nondelinquents performed better than delinquents, with the exception of their judgment about punishment severity. Age and class resulted in no significant differences. Overall, females scored higher than males on the various moral measures. Differences in cultural patterns between Israel and the United States (where most previous morality studies have taken place) may explain the lack of differences between classes. The lower morality measures of delinquents is due to the socialization process in which school and family have diminished impact. Tabular data and 17 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)