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Moral Maturity
Mihalj Szentartoni
orcid.org/0009-0008-2947-0053
; Papinsko učilište Gregorijana u Rimu, Rim, Italija
Abstract
Three aspects of moral maturity are discussed in the present study: moral behavioral maturity, moral judgment maturity and the role of religion in moral maturity.
Discussing moral behavioral maturity the author finds as a common feature of behavioral conformity, perception of authority as rational, impulse inhibition and altruism the presence of norms. Behavioral conformity indicates that a person recognizes in his life some norms. His recognition of authority shows that he perceives norms as rational. Impulse inhibition is a sign that he governs his behaviour according to norms. And finally, altruism means that the norms are universal and flexible. Each of them can be treated as a sign of moral maturity, if it is an expression of a person's internalized norms.
In the second part the author discusses the part that moral judgment plays in moral maturity. First he gives an overview on Kohlberg's moral judgment developmental stages. Two critical observations are expressed: Do Kohlberg's moral judgment stages really measure something different from general intelectual level, or not? Another observation is regarding the hereditary influence on the moral judgment.
Religion enters into morality as a strong motivational factor. Another role of religion is to reduce guilt. Maturity can be expressed then as a transition from irrational to reflective guilt.
The author conclades: Moral maturity is not only a matter of moral judgment, i.e. its intellectual aspect, neither is it merely a matter of external conformity, but is a matter of whole person, his rational, conscious, and future oriented responsibility for his own life in which religion has a significant role. Thus self-transcendence is the key word in the field of moral maturity.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
55819
URI
Publication date:
20.2.1978.
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