Author: Mr. Uday Modak
DOI Link :: https://doi-ds.org/doilink/03.2024-43748479/BIJMRD/2024/V2/I1/A17
Abstract: The word moral comes from the Latin word ‘Mors’, which means custom or practice or a way of accomplishing things. Therefore, it has come to mean ‘belonging to manners and conduct of men’ or ‘pertaining to right and wrong, good in conduct’. Morality is the conformity to the moral code of social group. It is the internalization of a set of values, virtues, and ideas sanctioned by the society which becomes an integral part of the individual self through the process of development. It is considered a sum total of an individual’s way of behaving which is judged in terms of ethical rightness or wrongness. Hence the ability to make moral judgement plays an important facet of the total development of the child. Moral judgement involves the cognitive capacity and insight to see the relationship between the abstract principle and concrete cases and judge the situations as right or wrong, keeping in view the knowledge of moral standards.
The theory which most directly inspired the research on moral judgement has been that of Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget(1928, 1932) who endeavoured to interpret the child’s concept of moral rules. He attempted to test children’s moral judgement towards intentional and unintentional wrong-doing and described six types of moral thoughts which appeared in children of different age groups. More recently, studies on moral judgement have been conducted by Kohlberg(1968), in which he asked the children to judge the morality of conduct as described in the stories.
Keywords: Moral, Moral judgement, Morality, Values.