Psychology of Morality

Catalog description

What makes people good or bad? How do we develop a sense of right or wrong? When should people be responsible for their actions? These are but three of the many important questions being investigated in a field known as moral psychology. Researchers in moral psychology address timeless philosophical questions by examining the biological, social, and psychological nature of why and how we become moral agents. In order to understand what underlies morality today, we must first understand its evolutionary history and biological underpinnings. (As a species how did we develop morality? What brain processes underline morality?). From the biological we move to the developmental (Do babies understand morality? Is morality learned? How does morality develop over time?) To fully understand morality, we must then understand the social and psychological processes that help us make decisions about what is good and what is bad. (Why do we “feel” that certain things are right and certain things are wrong? How do we come to a make a decision about what is good and what is bad?) Finally, using what we have learned, we will investigate the issue of individual differences and circumstances related to moral behavior, and then consider how our knowledge might be applied –for better (hopefully) or worse-in the near future.