About this Research Topic
Moral emotions, such as shame, guilt, and pride, serve as essential barometers for navigating our social environments. These emotions are complex constructs that integrate cognitive, social, personality, and physiological components, playing a fundamental role in the organization of knowledge and social understanding from early childhood. Despite their significance, the intricate nature of moral emotions and their impact on psychological well-being remain underexplored. Current research has begun to uncover the multifaceted roles these emotions play in interpersonal relationships and social cognition. However, there are still significant gaps in understanding how these emotions develop, how they interact with other psychological components, and how they manifest across different stages of life. Addressing these gaps is crucial for advancing our knowledge of human behavior and mental health.
This research topic aims to promote a scientific debate about the nature of moral emotions and their complexity by examining their connection with other cognitive, social, personality, and neuropsychological components that characterize humans from the earliest years of life. We seek to answer specific questions such as: How do moral emotions develop over the lifespan? What are the neurobiological underpinnings of these emotions? How do they interact with other psychological constructs? By addressing these questions, we hope to deepen our understanding of the role moral emotions play in human development and social functioning.
To gather further insights into the developmental, clinical, and neuroscientific aspects of moral emotions, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Developmental trajectories of moral emotions from childhood to adulthood
- Neurobiological mechanisms underlying moral emotions
- The role of moral emotions in psychological well-being and mental health
- Interactions between moral emotions and other cognitive and social processes
- Cross-cultural studies on the expression and regulation of moral emotions
- Clinical implications of moral emotions in various psychological disorders
- The impact of atypical development on moral emotions and social understanding
This research topic aims to promote a scientific debate about the nature of moral emotions and their complexity by examining their connection with other cognitive, social, personality, and neuropsychological components that characterize humans from the earliest years of life. We seek to answer specific questions such as: How do moral emotions develop over the lifespan? What are the neurobiological underpinnings of these emotions? How do they interact with other psychological constructs? By addressing these questions, we hope to deepen our understanding of the role moral emotions play in human development and social functioning.
To gather further insights into the developmental, clinical, and neuroscientific aspects of moral emotions, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Developmental trajectories of moral emotions from childhood to adulthood
- Neurobiological mechanisms underlying moral emotions
- The role of moral emotions in psychological well-being and mental health
- Interactions between moral emotions and other cognitive and social processes
- Cross-cultural studies on the expression and regulation of moral emotions
- Clinical implications of moral emotions in various psychological disorders
- The impact of atypical development on moral emotions and social understanding
Keywords: Emotion, Social, Personality, Cognitive, Neuroscience, Neurobehavioral, Development
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.
