Poster #80 - Children’s Moral Identity Motivation and its Relationship to Moral Emotions

• In Event: Poster Session 01

Abstract

Moral identity – the importance of morality to one’s sense of self (Aquino & Reed, 2002) – remains an influential concept in moral psychology, demonstrating systematic relationships with moral emotions (Lefebvre & Krettenauer, 2019) and behaviour (Hertz & Krettenauer, 2015). Recent studies propose moral identity emergence in middle childhood (Tomasello, 2019; Christner et al., 2020). Attempts demonstrating moral identity’s existence in childhood have not determined whether children’s moral identity is based on external motivation to influence others’ view of the self (maintaining positive reputations) or internal motivation (maintaining positive self-views by doing what is considered good/right). Evidence exists of systematic age-graded changes in identity motivations, wherein internal moral identity motivation increases from adolescence to early adulthood while external motivation decreases (Krettenauer & Victor, 2017). No studies have examined moral identity motivation development in younger children and how moral emotions develop alongside it.

This research investigates how moral identity motivation develops from preschool to late childhood and if moral identity motivation predicts children’s moral emotions. We expected children’s internal moral identity motivation would increase with age while external moral identity motivation decreased. Moral emotions will increase with age and correlate with moral identity motivation development.

Methods

Moral identity motivation - Participants viewed a presentation with several dyads. Dyads embodied a moral identity (e.g., helper) in different contexts (e.g., family, school) for different motivations (external: "because my mom likes it"; internal: "because I like helping others"). Participants selected the character they identified most with and rated how strongly they identified with the character on a 3-point scale (1=very little; 3=very much).

Moral emotions - Participants watched a presentation of various characters engaging in prosocial/antisocial behaviours. Participants indicated which moral (e.g., guilt, shame) and non-moral (e.g., fear) emotions they would expect to feel and rated the strength they would feel on a 5-point scale (1=very little; 5=very much).
Results are based on ongoing data collection, currently consisting of 4-6 (early childhood; N=16, Mage=4.83), 7-9 (middle childhood, N=5, Mage=7.64), and 10-11 (late childhood; N=5, Mage=10.44), year-old primarily White, children from Southwestern Ontario. At the time of the conference presentation, we anticipate a sample size of 100 participants.
Results
Preliminary findings indicate age-related differences in children’s moral identity motivation (H(2)=7.54, p=0.23; Figure 1). Young children show higher external motivation. Children in middle and late childhood show internal moral identity motivation more often across contexts (family, school). Moral emotions appear to change with age. Children in early and middle childhood select more external moral emotions (hubristic pride, shame). Children in late childhood select more internal emotions (authentic pride, guilt). Children report age-related differences in moral emotion strength (Figure 2). There is no relationship between moral identity motivation and moral emotion strength (r(24) =.186, p=.385).
Conclusion

Study results support an earlier start in the developmental trajectory of moral identity motivations than previously believed. Young children's moral identity tends to be more externally than internally motivated. Findings also provide evidence for the importance of moral identity to children's everyday moral functioning, as previously established in adolescent and adult populations.

Authors

• Hailey Goddeeris, Wilfrid Laurier University
  Presenting Author

• Tobias Krettenauer, Wilfrid Laurier University