Moral Judgment, Self-Understanding, and Moral Actions: The Role of Multiple Constructs

Current models of moral functioning such as those of Rest (1983) and Damon and Hart (1988) have maintained that optimal moral development and consistent moral action require the presence of multiple constructs. In order to examine the importance of the presence of multiple variables relevant to moral functioning, structural equation modeling was used in addressing relationships among measurements of moral judgment development, self-understanding, and three distinct forms of moral action. A sample of 167 college students responded to measures of moral judgment, self-understanding, and moral action in three data-collection sessions. Models generated of these data revealed that three different forms of moral action were statistically distinct and were differentially related to moral judgment development and self-understanding. The results are discussed in terms of the importance and contributions of multiple moral developmental constructs in the production of moral action.