About this Research Topic
Morality refers to a set of values relating to right conduct, against which behavior is judged to be acceptable or unacceptable. It is a form of social norms that guides human behaviors. Morality forms a fundamental part of our culture, but there is a great range of variation in moral standards and the things we value in each given culture. Behavior that is completely normal to Westerners, such as choosing a job or partner at one’s individual will, could be considered immoral in other cultures.
People are rewarded with money and reputations if they exhibit moral actions approved by cultural expectations and are punished by sanctions for moral violations. We also attribute positive feedback to people we consider moral (e.g., empathetic, filial) and negative feedback to those we consider immoral (untrustworthy, disgusting). Thus, it is important to study the psychological antecedents, processes, and outcomes of morality.
This research topic aims at bringing together researchers from diverse psychological fields to broaden our understanding of morality and things that people value in a cultural context. What are the nature, aims, and tools that people use to make moral evaluations and judgments? What are the developmental trajectories of morality across life spans, particularly in children, adolescents, and adults? What are the causes and consequences of moral/immoral behaviors in various life and social domains? Are there new ways of assessing morality in cultural and cross-cultural psychological research? We also encourage authors to consider and address the implications of their research findings for school and moral education.
This research topic accepts articles across the spectrum of personality, developmental, social, and cultural psychology areas. Both theoretical reviews and empirical studies are welcome. Topics that are of particular interest include but are not limited to the following issues:
1. Altruism and prosocial behaviors in the East and West
2. Goal orientation, cultural value, and subjective wellbeing
3. Moral beliefs about social-cultural development and subjective wellbeing
4. Psychological processes in that people master the moral codes
5. Religiosity, personality, and prosocial behaviors
6. Moral behaviors in the cybercultural context
7. Uncertainty, social circle, and the values of youth with different cultural backgrounds
8. Influences of descriptive and injunctive norms on morality
9. Personality and social variations of moral hypocrisy
10. Moral reasoning and moral intuition
11. Moral violations and punishment decisions
12. Moral values and intimate relationships in cultural contexts
People are rewarded with money and reputations if they exhibit moral actions approved by cultural expectations and are punished by sanctions for moral violations. We also attribute positive feedback to people we consider moral (e.g., empathetic, filial) and negative feedback to those we consider immoral (untrustworthy, disgusting). Thus, it is important to study the psychological antecedents, processes, and outcomes of morality.
This research topic aims at bringing together researchers from diverse psychological fields to broaden our understanding of morality and things that people value in a cultural context. What are the nature, aims, and tools that people use to make moral evaluations and judgments? What are the developmental trajectories of morality across life spans, particularly in children, adolescents, and adults? What are the causes and consequences of moral/immoral behaviors in various life and social domains? Are there new ways of assessing morality in cultural and cross-cultural psychological research? We also encourage authors to consider and address the implications of their research findings for school and moral education.
This research topic accepts articles across the spectrum of personality, developmental, social, and cultural psychology areas. Both theoretical reviews and empirical studies are welcome. Topics that are of particular interest include but are not limited to the following issues:
1. Altruism and prosocial behaviors in the East and West
2. Goal orientation, cultural value, and subjective wellbeing
3. Moral beliefs about social-cultural development and subjective wellbeing
4. Psychological processes in that people master the moral codes
5. Religiosity, personality, and prosocial behaviors
6. Moral behaviors in the cybercultural context
7. Uncertainty, social circle, and the values of youth with different cultural backgrounds
8. Influences of descriptive and injunctive norms on morality
9. Personality and social variations of moral hypocrisy
10. Moral reasoning and moral intuition
11. Moral violations and punishment decisions
12. Moral values and intimate relationships in cultural contexts
Keywords: morality, value, culture, attitudes, norms
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
