Guilt in Moral Development: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Questions have arisen during the last few years concerning the prevalent morals in the American society. People have been questioning the degree to which morals have been changing. The following investigation attempted to find out: (1) those areas which college students consider important in their moral considerations; (2) the extent to which such students will feel guilty when considering to engage in activities in these areas; and (3) any differences in pertinent classifications for youngsters reared or not reared in relatively strict Christian backgrounds. Results suggest 13 areas which tend to be important to the youth in moral considerations, differences in guilt feelings, and differences in responses relative to backgrounds.