Adolescence and Moral Development

Two major reasons exist for studying moral development during adolescence. First, cognitive changes that occur during adolescence are related to moral development. Formal operational thinking allows the adolescent to interpret the social environment in new and different ways. Second, because adolescents are capable of devising new and idealistic social orders to which all are expected to conform, we may view them as moral philosophers.
A number of researchers have noted other changes in moral development that point to the importance of adolescence as a transition stage in moral developmen…