Children's Moral Development Affected When
Growing Up Amid War
July, 16 2008
Colombian children living in war zones exhibited an understanding that stealing
or hurting others is wrong. But when asked to consider revenge as a motive, many
said it is acceptable to steal or hurt others for revenge. These vulnerabilities
were more pronounced among teenagers.
Those are the findings of a new study conducted by researchers at the University
of Utah. One of the first studies to consider how growing up in a war zone
affects children's moral development, the research appears in the July/August
2008 issue of the journal Child Development.
Children in about 50 countries worldwide are growing up in the midst of armed
conflict and its aftermath. In Colombia, where almost 2 million children have
been forcibly displaced from their homes over the past 15 years, the researchers
sought to determine how living amid violence, lawlessness, and deprivation
affects the way children think about right and wrong.
The researchers looked at 96 war-affected children and adolescents in Colombia
to determine whether they developed moral concepts related to justice and
welfare, and if so, how they brought those moral concepts to bear on situations
related to survival and revenge - situations that are relevant to life in the
midst of political conflict and that might represent compelling reasons to
breach moral principles.
According to the study, all participants said it is wrong to steal or hurt
others because of considerations of justice and welfare, and most said it is
wrong to steal or hurt others even when such actions can help ensure one's
survival. When the question of revenge arose, however, the youths' judgments
were mixed, with a sizeable number endorsing stealing and hurting for that
reason. A majority of the participants also said they expected that people would
steal and hurt others in most situations; this view was strongest among teens.
"Overall, these findings unveil a reservoir of moral knowledge among
war-affected children: Even the impoverished environments of war and
displacement present youths with opportunities for reflecting on the intrinsic
features of actions that harm others," according to Roberto Posada, a
doctoral student at the University of Utah, and Cecilia Wainryb, professor of
psychology at the University of Utah, the study's authors. "But these
findings also point to potential vulnerabilities in these children's moral
lives. It is possible that contexts underscoring concerns with survival might
compromise children's ability to view themselves and others as moral agents,
while contexts underscoring revenge might give rise to cycles of violence."
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Summarized from Child Development, Vol. 79, Issue 4, Moral
Development in a Violent Society: Colombian Children's Judgments in the Context
of Survival and Revenge by Posada, R, and Wainryb, C (University of Utah).
Copyright 2008 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights
reserved.
Source: Andrea Browning
Society for
Research in Child Development
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
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