Moral Internalization: Current Theory And Research

Abstract

This chapter focuses on psychological processes in moral internalization. Psychologists have long been intrigued with moral internalization because it epitomizes the age-old problem of how individuals come to manage the inevitable conflict between personal needs and social obligations. There is a theoretical disagreement that revolves around socialization experiences that are most likely to foster the internalization process. The chapter reviews the rather large body of pertinent research and evaluates it in relation to the guiding theoretical notions. Three broad categories are presented that encompass most of the research—parental discipline, identification and modeling, and cognitive disequilibrium. Consistency of moral behavior and the influence of the situation that does not deal directly with internalization but has a definite bearing on it are discussed in the chapter. Though limited in focus, the variety of research designs, measuring instruments, and theoretical concepts attest to the complex, multifaceted nature of moral internalization. Each approach appears to capture a part of reality and each hypothesis can claim some empirical support, though none has yet been subject to the crucial test.