John Rest

MORAL DEVELOPMENT

by James Rest

index

INTRODUCTION TO JAMES REST

MORAL SENSITIVITY

MORAL JUDGEMENT

MORAL FOCUS

MORAL CHARACTER

introduction

James Rest

James Rest was an American psychologist specializing in moral psychology and development. He was a professor at the University of Minnesota from 1970 until his formal retirement in 1994 and was a 1993 recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award at the University. Rest continued mentoring, researching, and writing until his death in 1999.

Moral Development

Moral development is the process through which children develop proper attitudes and behaviors toward other people in society, based on social and cultural norms, rules, and laws.

How do we make Ethical Decisions?

James Rest, a well-known cognitive-developmental researcher, developed a model of ethical behavior that is based on the presumption that there are four steps in moral development that lead to ethical action. Rest asserted that ethical actions are not the outcome of a single, unitary decision process, but result from a combination of cognitive structures and psychological processes.

four component model

by James Crest

MORAL ACTION

MORAL JUDGEMENT

MORAL SENSITIVITY

MORAL MOTIVATION

01

MORAL SENSITIVITY

moral sensitivity

The first step in moral behavior requires that the individual interpret the situation as moral. The simplest way is to apply The Golden Rule. In other words, whenever your actions affect others, moral issues exist. Absent the ability to recognize that one’s actions affect the welfare of others, it would be virtually impossible to make the most ethical decision when faced with a moral dilemma. A useful perspective is to identify the stakeholders – internal and external parties – and how they could be affected by your action.

02

MORAL judgement

moral judgement

The second component of the four-component model is moral judgment. Moral judgment requires knowledge of concepts, codes of conduct, and ethical principles, and helps to identify the guidelines that support a decision.

03

MORAL MOTIVATION

moral MOTIVATION

An individual’s ethical motivation influences his/her intention to comply or not comply with ethical judgment in the resolution of an ethical dilemma. It’s one thing to know what moral reasoning methods direct a person to do. When there's absence of ethical intent or the motivation to take the next step, ethical decision-making is not likely to occur

04

MORAL ACTION

moral ACTION

Individuals do not always behave in accordance with their ethical intention. An individual’s intention to act ethically and his/her ethical actions may not be aligned because of pressures or biases that influence decision making. Individuals with strong ethical character will be more likely to carry out their ethical intentions with ethical action than individuals with a weak ethical character because they are better able to withstand pressures.

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