Adolescent Development week 4

Culture

The shared system of beliefs, values, norms, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that a group of people use to interpret and engage with the world.

Culture as a Context for Development

provides the social and psychological context that shapes adolescents’ behavior, identity, cognition, and emotional expression.

It influences both:

• External behaviours – how adolescents act in public and private settings

• Internal processes – how they think, feel, and reason morally

Adolescents learn these values through:

• Parents and extended family

• School curricula and teacher expectations

• Media and peer group norms

Culture and Developmental Timing

The onset and duration of adolescence can differ depending on cultural norms related to:

• Education

• Work responsibilities

• Family obligations

cultural expectations affect:

• The way adolescents explore their identities

• The nature of their peer relationships

• How they approach moral and social decision-making

Multifaceted Nature of Culture

• Schools

• Religious organisations

• Media outlets

• Community networks

Bicultural and multicultural development

Adolescents in diverse cultural settings may develop bicultural identities, navigating both cultural enrichment and challenges like conflict or marginalisation.

Individualism

A cultural orientation that emphasizes personal autonomy, self-expression, and self-efficacy, common in many Western societies.

Collectivism

A cultural orientation that values family loyalty, social harmony, and fulfilling group responsibilities, typical in many non-Western societies.

Religiousness

The extent to which individuals internalize and participate in the practices and beliefs of a particular religion.

Spirituality

A personal and individualized sense of connection to something greater than oneself, which may or may not be tied to formal religion.

Adolescents and religion part 1

As adolescents reflect critically on the worldviews they’ve inherited, some may:

• Maintain strong religious identification

• Shift toward a more personal spirituality

• Disengage from religious frameworks entirely

Religion can support the internalisation of moral values and the development of self-regulation, which are essential for healthy adolescent functioning.

Questioning and change in beliefs

Adolescents often re-evaluate religious teachings as cognitive capacities grow, potentially leading to declining religiousness or shifts toward personal spirituality.

Heteronomous morality

Piaget's first stage of moral development where rules are seen as fixed and moral judgments are based on consequences rather than intentions.

Autonomous morality

Piaget's second stage of moral development where rules are understood as social agreements that can be changed by consensus.

Preconventional Level

(typically up to age 9)

Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation
→ Morality is about avoiding punishment.

Stage 2: Instrumental purpose orientation
→ Morality is guided by self-interest and reciprocal benefit.

Conventional Level

(typically early adolescence)

Stage 3: Good boy/good girl orientation
→ Emphasis on social approval and relationships.

Stage 4: Social-order-maintaining orientation
→ Laws and rules are upheld to maintain social order.

Postconventional Level 

Stage 5: Social contract orientation
→ Rules are flexible and should promote justice and individual rights.

Stage 6: Universal ethical principles orientation
→ Morality is based on universal human rights, regardless of law.

Kohlberg’s criticisms 

• Culturally biased (Western-centric)

• Overly focused on justice while neglecting values like care and loyalty

• Too rigid, as individuals often reason at multiple stages depending on context

Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Development

A theory proposed by Bandura that emphasizes the interaction between personal factors, behavior, and environmental influences in moral development.

Two key constructs are:

• Moral competence – knowledge of moral rules

• Moral performance – actual moral behaviour, which may differ from competence

A strength of the model is its real-world applicability, acknowledging the gap between moral reasoning and behaviour. However, it lacks a clear developmental framework

Worldviews Theory of Moral Development

morality is shaped by culturally embedded worldviews, which reflect broad belief systems about how to live a good life.

Three key moral ethics guide reasoning:

1. Ethic of Autonomy – individual rights and personal freedom

2. Ethic of Community – social roles, duties, and responsibilities

3. Ethic of Divinity – spiritual beliefs about sacredness and divine authority

Adolescents may draw from all three ethics depending on cultural background and context.

Worldviews Theory of Moral Development criticism

more descriptive than explanatory and lacks a clear developmental trajectory

Bicultural development

The developmental processes experienced by adolescents who navigate and blend aspects of two different cultures.

Factors influencing moral development 

• culture

• family and parenting practices

• schools

Family and parenting practices and moral development

• The values they model

• The disciplinary strategies they use

• The emotional climate of the home

Supportive parenting practices (e.g., warmth, secure attachment, open moral dialogue) promote:

• Moral identity

• Prosocial behaviour

schools and moral development 

• Formal education includes subjects like civics, ethics, and religion, which encourage reflection on justice, rights, and ethical reasoning.

• Informal socialisation occurs through:

  • Peer and teacher interactions

  • Classroom rules

  • Institutional values

Moral competence

Knowledge of moral rules and the ability to reason about moral issues.

Moral performance

The actual moral behavior displayed by an individual, which may differ from their moral competence.

Inductive discipline

A parenting approach that explains the consequences of actions to foster moral understanding and empathy.

Multicultural adolescents

Adolescents who experience and navigate multiple cultural identities and the associated psychological and social challenges.

cultural beliefs

embedded in:

• Family structures

• Social roles

• Gender expectations

• Life transitions, including adolescence

Cultural frameworks help shape how adolescents understand themselves and their place in the world.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Beliefs

rooted in:

• Kinship networks

• Community responsibilities

• Spirituality

• Connection to land (Country)

Adolescence is viewed not as a separate life stage, but as part of a continuous cultural journey, closely tied to collective identity and responsibility

Parenting styles across cultures

Authoritative parenting is associated with positive outcomes in individualistic cultures, while directive or authoritarian parenting may function effectively in collectivist contexts when embedded in strong relational support.

Assessment of moral development

Typically involves analysing responses to hypothetical dilemmas using tools like the Defining Issues Test, though newer methods aim to capture real-life moral reasoning and behaviour

Moral reasoning vs behaviour

There is often a gap between what adolescents say is right and how they act, especially in emotionally charged or peer-influenced situations

Contextual approaches to assessment

Emphasise real-world moral challenges and use narrative, observational, and identity-based tools to understand how adolescents apply moral reasoning in daily life.