The Moral Child: Nurturing Children's Natural Moral Growth

Synopsis

Alarming experiences with irresponsible, dishonest and violent children and teenagers are troubling parents, educators and concerned citizens, who wonder what has gone wrong and what can be done. This book offers an overview of the evolution and nurturance of children's moral understanding and behaviour from infancy through adolescence, at home and in school. Drawing on decades of research, the author demonstrates how morality emerges naturally in the context of children's everyday social interaction as they form caring attachments and judgments about fairness. Emphasizing respectful engagement between adult and child, he stresses the effectiveness of authoritative - not authoritarian - parenting and school programmes that encourage children to reason autonomously about everyday ethical dilemmas.