Moral Development

Moral Development

Consider what you think might be the date of origin of the following quote:

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

When might someone have made this observation: this year, this decade, or twenty years ago? Would you be surprised to learn that this quote is attributed to Socrates, who wrote in the 5th century, BC?

Members of each passing generation can often be heard uttering their disapproval of “today’s youth.” People in aging generations sometimes blame parents, the media, and society as a whole for younger generations’ declining morals and manners. They reminisce about the way things were and make blanket statements about going back to the ways things should be. While the truth to their claims can be left up to debate, there is one common element that spans all generations of adolescents: the impact of current events.

In the 1940s, the events of World War II sparked in United States citizens patriotic behaviors such as enlisting in the military. The aftermath of the war contributed to many youth in the succeeding generation seeking peace and love to overcome the plagues of war. Today, news reports are peppered with incidents of adolescents assaulting one another and sharing their conquests with the masses via social media. Bullying and the influence of social media are two examples of current issues impacting a generation. The 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 1 in 6 United States high school students admitted to being bullied through indirect communication such as e-mail or text messages (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Statistics such as these leave many to wonder whether bullying is becoming more extreme or if social media is simply beginning to highlight its severity.

As a counselor, it is important that you consider the current events that impact the children and adolescents with whom you might work.

For this Discussion, research the Walden library and/or contemporary news sources to find an article that presents a particular event highlighting immoral behavior of children or adolescents. Consider the factors that might have contributed to the behavior. Some of the following terms might be helpful to use in your research: bullying, technology, social media, consumerism, or religion.

Post  a description of the event and the immoral behavior described in the article you selected. Then, explain factors that may have contributed to the immoral behaviors presented in the article. Finally, describe two interventions you might use to influence moral development in the individual(s) who participated in the event. Justify your response with references to this week’s Learning Resources and the current literature. Be specific.

Respond  to at least two of your colleagues using one or more of the following approaches:

Offer and support an additional factor that might have contributed to the immoral behaviors discussed by a colleague.

Expand on a colleague’s posting to describe how the described immoral behaviors might impact the future of the participating individual(s) and others.

Suggest additional interventions as appropriate. Support your suggestions with references to this week’s Learning Resources and the current literature.