NCJ Number
91466
Date Published
1983
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The study tested the hypothesis that moral development is inversely related to both detected and undetected delinquency, and the propensity to neutralize moral development through various rationalizations was also examined.
Abstract
A questionnaire was administered to a sample drawn from a population of 7th-12th grade boys and girls enrolled in two junior high schools and one senior high school in a midsized community. The sample was representative of the sex, race, age, and social-class characteristics of adolescents enrolled in the school district. The 414 respondents represented 77 percent of the students in the classes from which the sample was taken. To assess the level of cognitive development (determination of the respondent's stage of moral reasoning), Rest's (1974) short version of the Defining Issues Test (DIT) was used. The stage score represents the exceptional use of reasoning consistent with one of the respective stages; the P score indicates the priority given to responses that represent higher-level, principled reasoning in considering moral dilemmas. The D score is a sophisticated measure that reflects and balances a respondent's reliance on all levels of moral reasoning. Detected delinquency was operationalized by asking respondents how many times they had been in trouble with the law. To determine a form of undetected delinquency, respondents were asked how often they used marijuana. It is concluded that the research raises more questions that it answers. The unresolved issues identified run the gamut of theory, epistemology, and methodology. Tabular data and 62 references are provided.