Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Moral Development”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

The relationship between education and ethical behavior of nursing students.

Based on the cognitive theory of moral development of Kohlberg, refined by the addition of the dimension "ethics of care" and the educational theory of Janssen, the relationship of education and ethical behavior of nursing students was examined. Ethical behavior referred not only to the ethical reasoning of students but also to the relationship between this reasoning and their behavior. This study examined the responses of 2,624 nursing students to five ethical nursing dilemmas included in the Ethical Behavior Test by relating them to four educational variables: students' level of education, level of enrollment, school, and students' perceptions of the educational process. A significant relationship between education and ethical behavior was found.

Adolescent↗

Attitudes of registered nurses toward euthanasia.

We sought to identify variables that contribute to euthanasia attitude and behavior, including demographics, death fears, experience with death, attitudes toward patient autonomy, and level of moral development. Subjects were 137 registered nurses from the southeastern United States representing 13 clinical nursing areas. Principal components analysis identified four factors that together explained 62.9% of total variance. These factors were belief in afterlife, nursing experience, liberal or conservative political view, and personal values. Variables identified through factor analysis were entered into regression analyses. These analyses showed that increased religious belief, years of nursing experience, and propensity to view death as an end of existence predicted opposition to euthanasia. Predictors for euthanasia support included a liberal political view, more experience with dying patients, and the belief that patients should have a personal responsibility for their own health-care decisions.

Black or African American↗

Children on the stand: the obligation to speak the truth.

The competence of young children to testify as witnesses in a court of law, especially with regard to the obligation to speak the truth, is examined. The relevant empirical data from developmental literature is critically reviewed. Topics considered include the development of the concept of lies and truth, moral development, the relationship between moral reasoning and moral conduct, and observations of moral behavior. The ecological validity of laboratory analogs is considered in light of the extreme sensitivity to context of children's abilities and behavior. From available evidence, we conclude that young children consistently judge lying solely on whether what is said agrees with external facts regardless of inferred intent or belief of the speaker. Further, young children are less willing to lie because of extenuating circumstances than are older children and adults. The older child's and adult's decision on whether to tell a lie is based on a consideration of a number of complex internal and environmental factors. We conclude that children on the witness stand are likely to be motivated to be as honest, or more honest, than are adults.

Adolescent↗

Measuring moral judgment in nursing dilemmas.

Based on cognitive theory of moral development, this research investigated the difference between nurses' responses to general, hypothetical moral dilemmas and their responses to real-life nursing dilemmas. The purpose of the research was to: identify recurrent moral dilemmas experienced by staff nurses; develop an instrument (Nursing Dilemma Test [NDT]) to measure nurses' responses to nursing dilemmas and the importance given to moral issues and practical considerations; relate staff nurses' responses to nursing dilemmas in the NDT and responses to hypothetical moral dilemmas in the Defining Issues Test to two subject variables (level of nursing education and length of clinical nursing experience); and compare moral judgments, both hypothetical general and nursing specific, of five subject groups (N = 225): staff nurses with associate degrees (57) and baccalaureate degrees (85) in nursing, nurses with masters degrees in nursing (10), college junior prenurses (36), and graduate level nonnurses (37). Findings verified the significance of formal education and previous involvement with similar dilemmas in enhancing principled thinking and raised questions about the relative strength of practical considerations in the hospital milieu.

Adult↗

Extraversion, neuroticism, immoral judgment and criminal behaviour.

The present study examines delinquent behaviour by integrating two approaches until now employed separately: Eysnck's theory linking delinquency to extraversion and neuroticism, and Kohlberg's theory of moral development and its connection to moral behaviour. The study analyzes the relations between extraversion, neuroticism and moral judgment, as well as their independent and/or interactive effect upon the development of anti-social behaviour. The relationships are tested by retrospective measurements of personality traits and moral judgment in three groups: delinquency (N = 203), control (N = 82) and comparative (N = 407) groups. Findings show that criminals are higher than control subjects in neuroticism and immoral judgment but not in extraversion. Similar relationships were found between criminals and the comparative group, with one exception: here extraversion was found to be positively related to delinquency, both independently and interactively with neuroticism. The implications of these results for differential development of anti-social behaviour are discussed.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗

The measurement of principled morality by the Kohlberg Moral Dilemma Questionnaire.

The four stages preceding the postconventional level in the Kohlberg (1958, 1971, 1976) system of moral development are described as involving moral judgments that conform to external conditions of punishment, reward, social expectation, and conformity to the law. No special level of self-control seems necessary to behave in keeping with these conditions of external reinforcement. In contrast, the two stages of postconventional (principled) mortality involve defiance of majority opinion and defiance of the law--actions that would seem to require greater self-control. This study was concerned with whether postconventional moral reasoning, as measured by the Kohlberg Moral Dilemma Questionnaire (MDQ), can be associated with higher self-control. If so, prediction of principled moral behavior from the MDQ would be based not only on postconventional moral reasoning but bolstered by the necessary level of self-control as well. College students who came the closest to postconventional moral reasoning showed better self-control than college students who were more conventional or preconventional in their moral judgments. These results support the validity of the MDQ for predicting principled moral behavior.

Adolescent↗

A holistic model of advocacy: factors that influence its use.

Although advocacy is embraced by nursing as an essential component of holistic philosophy, its scope is often limited in practice. In this article, a research study that examined the use of an expanded definition of advocacy is described. A link to the role of advocacy as a complementary therapy and in relation to facilitating the use of complementary therapies by patients is provided. Fifty-two registered nurses completed a researcher developed advocacy research instrument that assessed the use of moral-ethical, legal, political, spiritual, and substitutive advocacy along with various factors thought to influence the use of advocacy including moral development, perceived assertiveness, and perceived job security. An additional 40 RN-BSN students generated case studies of advocacy enacted in practice that were used as examples of the five categories of advocacy and to support the findings of the survey. Results indicated that moral-ethical advocacy was used more often than the other four categories. Moral stage development had a significant effect on substitutive advocacy but assertiveness and job security were not significant factors influencing any category of advocacy.

Adult↗

Moral growth among athletes and nonathletes: a comparative analysis.

Sport may be described as a unique moral context encouraging adaptations in participants' moral reasoning. The relation between sport participation and maturity of moral reasoning regarding general social problems and sport-specific dilemmas was investigated in two related studies. Study 1 involved 100 high school and college basketball players and nonathletes, with an equal distribution of females and males. Moral protocols were administered and scored according to Haan's (1978, 1983) interactional model of moral development. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed no moral reasoning differences between high school basketball players and nonathletes, but high school females' moral reasoning was more mature than was males'. Within the college sample, nonathletes' moral reasoning was significantly more mature than was athletes'. Also, females' moral reasoning about sport was more mature than that of their male counterparts, though no sex differences were found in general life moral reasoning. In Study 2, 20 swimmers were added to the college sample. Basketball players employed less mature moral reasoning about sport than both swimmers and nonathletes (who did not differ from each other). Results were discussed in terms of sport-specific experiences.

Adolescent↗