Adolescents' moral engagement in urban settings

Abstract

Adolescents who live in urban settings regularly encounter a complex array of people and circumstances that require sophisticated decision-making skills. Using their personal standards, adolescents coordinate moral thoughts and emotions when deciding how to act. After defining what the author refers to as moral engagement, several empirical examples are introduced to illustrate how parents and teachers might incorporate conversations into family and classroom routines that enhance moral engagement. These findings support several conclusions about the mental health benefits of teaching adolescents to appraise situations using moral standards.