STUDIES BY FOREIGN PSYCHOLOGISTS ON THE ISSUE OF MORAL SELF-AWARENESS IN ADOLESCENTS

INTERNATIONALSCIENCES, EDUCATION AND NEW LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 7 | 2025 https://internationalsciences.org/ | Social Sciences and Humanities | October, 2025 54 DOI: https://10.5281/zenodo.17484059 STUDIES BY FOREIGN PSYCHOLOGISTS ON THE ISSUE OF MORAL SELF-AWARENESS IN ADOLESCENTS. Mamanazarov Uchqun Burxon o‘g‘li Senior Lecturer at Oriental University ABSTRACT This article reviews seminal and contemporary contributions by foreign psychologists to our understanding of moral self-awareness in adolescence. Major theoretical frameworks—Kohlberg‘s stage theory, Gilligan’s ethics-of-care critique, Turiel’s social-domain theory, Bandura’s social-cognitive account of moral agency (including moral disengagement), and the construct of moral identity introduced by Aquino and Reed—are summarized and compared. Drawing on empirical findings, the review highlights how cognitive development, perspective-taking, identity formation, social context, and self-regulatory mechanisms interact in shaping adolescents’ moral self-conceptions. Implications for research design and educational practice are discussed. Keywords: moral self-awareness; adolescence; Kohlberg; Gilligan; Turiel; Bandura; moral identity; moral development. INTRODUCTION Moral self-awareness — the sense of oneself as a moral agent, including internalized values, moral emotions, and the capacity to evaluate one’s actions in moral terms — becomes increasingly complex during adolescence. Psychologists from different theoretical traditions have approached this construct from complementary angles: stage-based cognitive development, relational ethics, domain differentiation, social learning, and identity theory. Because adolescence is a period of rapid cognitive maturation, expanding social networks, and identity consolidation, understanding how moral self-awareness develops during this stage is both theoretically rich and practically important for education and youth policy. The following sections synthesize influential foreign psychological studies and frameworks that have shaped contemporary thinking about adolescent moral self-awareness. METHODOLOGY This paper is a focused integrative literature review. Sources were selected to capture both foundational theoretical positions and representative empirical programs INTERNATIONALSCIENCES, EDUCATION AND NEW LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 7 | 2025 https://internationalsciences.org/ | Social Sciences and Humanities | October, 2025 55 that operationalize moral self-awareness in adolescence. Selection criteria prioritized: (1) canonical theoretical contributions with clear empirical follow-up (e.g., Kohlberg, Gilligan, Turiel); (2) influential empirical constructs and measures (e.g., moral identity scales); and (3) empirical work linking cognitive, social, and self-regulatory processes to adolescents’ moral self-conception (e.g., studies of perspective-taking and moral disengagement). Emphasis was placed on peer-reviewed articles and major theoretical monographs published in English. The goal was not exhaustive bibliometrics but a conceptually coherent synthesis to support applied research and pedagogical interventions. RESULTS Lawrence Kohlberg‘s stage theory remains a cornerstone for linking cognitive development with moral judgment: adolescents typically move from conventional considerations (obedience, social approval) toward principled reasoning involving abstract principles of justice and rights. Research inspired by Kohlberg indicates that developments in hypothetical-dilemma reasoning correlate with adolescent gains in perspective-taking and formal operational thought, and that such reasoning supports a more autonomous moral self-definition — adolescents begin to justify actions by reference to internalized principles rather than external pressures. Carol Gilligan criticized stage theories for emphasizing justice-oriented reasoning that may underrepresent relational moral concerns, particularly salient in female adolescents. Her “ethics of care” framework emphasizes connections, responsibility in relationships, and contextual sensitivity. Empirical follow-ups suggest that many adolescents (across genders) integrate both justice and care orientations into their moral self-awareness, and that care-based concerns often shape moral identity where interpersonal roles are central. Elliot Turiel’s social-domain theory distinguishes moral, conventional, and personal domains of social judgment. Studies show adolescents increasingly differentiate between moral rules (rights, welfare, fairness) and social conventions (customs, authority), asserting moral autonomy in contexts of conflict with authority or convention. This domain sensitivity contributes to moral self-awareness by enabling adolescents to classify issues as matters of principle versus preference — a cognitive skill that supports principled self-definition. Albert Bandura’s social-cognitive approach reframes morality as enacted selfregulation rather than only judgment. Bandura and subsequent scholars highlight mechanisms (moral self-sanctions vs. moral disengagement) that determine whether adolescents act in line with their moral self-image. Empirical studies show that adolescents who more readily employ moral disengagement strategies (e.g., euphemistic labeling, displaced responsibility) report behavior inconsistent with their INTERNATIONALSCIENCES, EDUCATION AND NEW LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 7 | 2025 https://internationalsciences.org/ | Social Sciences and Humanities | October, 2025 56 moral self-views; conversely, strong moral self-regulation predicts prosocial behavior and lower antisocial conduct. Aquino and Reed’s moral identity construct operationalizes the degree to which moral traits are central to the self-concept. Research using moral-identity scales with adolescents finds that higher moral identity predicts greater prosocial behavior and stronger moral motivation; moral identity also moderates the relation between moral reasoning and action — adolescents with principled reasoning are more likely to behave morally when moral identity is salient. ANALYZE Taken together, these approaches reveal that moral self-awareness in adolescence is multiply determined. Cognitive structure and reasoning (Kohlberg, Turiel) provide the conceptual scaffolding for abstract moral reflection and domain discrimination. Adolescents’ capacity to reason about principles and to distinguish moral from conventional issues supports a coherent moral Relational and affective orientation (Gilligan) ensures that an adolescent’s moral self is not purely abstract but anchored in relationships, empathy, and duties of care — especially salient in contexts of close friendships and family ties. Identity and internalization (Aquino & Reed) locate morality within selfdefinition: when adolescents internalize moral traits as central to identity, moral goals guide behavior, even under social pressure. Self-regulatory mechanisms (Bandura) explain the translation gap between moral self-concept and behavior: moral disengagement undermines congruence, while strong moral self-sanctions promote consistency. Empirical intersections are noteworthy: perspective-taking (Selman and others) mediates links between cognitive development and care orientation; moral identity moderates whether reasoning predicts action; and contextual cues (peer norms, school climate) shape both identity salience and the activation of disengagement mechanisms. DISCUSSION Future empirical work should integrate measurement across levels: combine moral-reasoning interviews, moral-identity questionnaires, and behavioral indicators (e.g., prosocial acts, disciplinary records) to capture the multifaceted nature of adolescents’ moral self-awareness. Longitudinal designs are especially valuable to disentangle directionality (e.g., does increasing moral identity drive behavior, or do repeated moral actions strengthen identity?). Experimental interventions (valuesclarification, perspective-taking training, and programs reducing moral disengagement) can test causal pathways and inform scalable school practices. INTERNATIONALSCIENCES, EDUCATION AND NEW LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 7 | 2025 https://internationalsciences.org/ | Social Sciences and Humanities | October, 2025 57 Curriculum design: Integrate ethics education that balances justice-based dilemmas with care-oriented scenarios and identity work (reflective essays, role plays) to help adolescents articulate moral self-views. Foster perspective-taking: Activities that explicitly develop perspective-taking (dialogic classroom methods, peer mediation) support transition to higher stages of moral reasoning and relational moral awareness. Address moral disengagement: Teach recognition of common disengagement mechanisms and build moral self-sanctions (e.g., public commitments, restorative practices) to reduce the gap between values and conduct. Support moral identity development: Provide opportunities for adolescents to enact moral values through service learning and leadership roles, thereby increasing the centrality of moral traits in self-concept. Limitations This review emphasizes influential Western scholarship; cross-cultural variations in moral self-awareness necessitate caution in generalization. Also, many measures rely on self-report, which can be biased by social desirability; multimethod assessment is recommended. REFERENCES: 1. Aquino, Karl, and Americus Reed. “The Self-Importance of Moral Identity.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 83, no. 6, 2002, pp. 1423–1440. 2. Bandura, Albert. “Moral Disengagement as a Self-Regulatory Cognitive Mechanism.” [See review and empirical literature on moral disengagement]. (Representative review articles and meta-analyses cited). 3. Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Harvard University Press, 1982. (See critiques and empirical followups). 4. Kohlberg, Lawrence. Essays on Moral Development, Vol. I: The Philosophy of Moral Development. Harper & Row, 1981. (Classic formulation of stages of moral development). 5. Turiel, Elliot. The Development of Social Knowledge: Morality and Convention. Cambridge University Press, 1983. (Foundational social-domain theory). 6. Additional empirical syntheses and contemporary studies informing this review include research on perspective-taking and moral reasoning (e.g., Lane et al., 2010), moral identity applications in adolescence (Hardy et al., 2014), and recent longitudinal work examining moral identity and behavior in youth (Schipper et al., 2021).