Handbook of Moral Development

by Melanie Killen; Judith G. Smetana

Publisher:

Routledge

, 2023

Overview

The Handbook of Moral Development is the definitive source of theory and research on the origins and development of morality in childhood and adolescence. It explores morality as fundamental to being human and enabling individuals to acquire social norms and develop social relationships that involve cooperation and mutual respect.

Since the publication of the second edition, groundbreaking approaches to studying moral development have invigorated debates about how to conceptualize and measure morality in childhood and adolescence. The contributors of this new edition grapple with these questions from different theoretical perspectives and review cutting-edge research. The handbook, edited by Melanie Killen and Judith G. Smetana, includes chapters on parenting and socialization, values, emergence of prejudice and social exclusion, fairness and access to resources, moral reasoning and children’s rights, empathy, and prosocial behaviors. Morality is discussed in the context of families, peers, schools, and culture. Thoroughly updated and expanded, the third edition features new chapters on the following:

Morality in infancy and early childhood

Cognitive neuroscience perspectives on moral development

Social responsibility in the context of social and racial justice

Conceptions of economic and societal inequalities

Stereotypes, bias, and discrimination

Victimization and bullying in peer contexts

Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the study of moral development, this edition contains contributions from sixty scholars in developmental science, social neuroscience, comparative and evolutionary psychology, and education, representing research conducted around the world. This book will be essential reading for scholars, educators, and students who are in the field of moral development, as well as social scientists, public health experts, and clinicians who are concerned with children and development.

Key Features

• Explores morality as fundamental to being human and enabling individuals.
• Shows how to conceptualize and measure morality in childhood and adolescence.
• Contains contributions from sixty scholars in developmental science.

Praise for Handbook of Moral Development

The first and second editions of the Handbook of Moral Development framed existing knowledge and advanced future scholarship about moral development. The third edition impressively continues this tradition by presenting the rich theoretical and empirical knowledge about all domains of the field and by illuminating the paths forward for understanding and enhancing the science of moral development. The third edition of this extraordinary reference work is required reading for all developmental scientists.

-- Richard M. Lerner, Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science, Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University

While research on moral development has a rich history, the newest edition of this handbook clearly highlights how cutting-edge research continues to tackle the evolving complexity of morality in today’s world. By both reviewing past research and expanding the canon to include social justice and social responsibility as moral concerns, this handbook provides a comprehensive and socially relevant overview of the ever-growing field of moral development research.

-- Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D.

Killen and Smetana present an artfully updated articulation of how morality, and children’s moral development, are critical to understanding and interrupting the social injustices that occupy our newsfeeds. Their analysis outlines how morality is more than an esoteric notion of “right” and “wrong”, it is at the core of what it means to participate meaningfully in society, to contest racism and discrimination, and to strive collectively for a just world.

-- Tiffany Yip, Professor of Psychology Fordham University

Product Details

• Title: Handbook of Moral Development
• Authors: Melanie Killen, Judith G. Smetana
• Edition: Third Edition
• Publisher: Routledge
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 463
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Moral development
• ISBNs: 9780367497569, 9781003047247, 0367497565, 1003047246
• Resource ID: LLS:HNDBKMRLDVLPMNT
• Resource Type: text.monograph.handbook
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-01-09T19:05:35Z