Social Domain Theory and Moral Judgment in Child Development

Jonathan Haidt

Proposed that moral judgments are intuitive rather than reasoned

Moral intuition

Gut-based moral judgments made quickly

Moral reasoning

Justifications that often come after a moral judgment

Moral dumbfounding

Holding a strong moral belief without being able to explain it

Social Domain Theory

The idea that people reason differently about moral, conventional, and personal rules

Elliot Turiel

Proposed Social Domain Theory

Moral domain

Rules involving harm, welfare, and rights

Moral domain example

Hitting someone

Social-conventional domain

Rules based on customs and social norms

Social-conventional domain example

Chewing gum at school

Personal domain

Personal choices with no moral obligation

Personal domain example

Choosing what clothes to wear

Social Domain Theory key finding

Children distinguish moral and conventional rules by preschool age