IDEALS OF THE GOOD LIFE: A LONGITUDINAL/CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF EVALUATIVE REASONING IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS (STAGES, MORAL, STRUCTURE

This four-year, longitudinal/cross-sectional study investigates the plausibility of a structural model of evaluative reasoning about ideals of the good life and justice reasoning with subjects ranging in age from 5 to 72. The construct of evaluative reasoning, which includes both moral and non-moral components, is specified both psychologically and philosophically and distinguished from other developmental constructs such as justice reasoning. It is claimed that the model is normative. Support is found for this claim in an analysis of five schools of thought from traditional ethical theory that results in a minimal conception of the good life upon which the differing ethical theories might agree.;A scoring manual for evaluative reasoning in the domains of good life, good work, good friendship, and the good person is presented with high reliability and internal validity. It is shown that, with the findings to date, the stage sequence constructed meets the general Piagetian criteria for a structural stage model. It is also shown that much of the meaningful content of evaluative reasoning can be classified according to categories derived from traditional ethics and metaethics.;Particular analyses are focused on adult structural development. It is shown that a significant percentage of individuals over 20 years old continue their development in both evaluative and justice reasoning and that the post-conventional stages that are postulated in both models are restricted to members of this age group. It is also shown that advanced education beyond the baccalaureate level is a significant factor in the development of post-conventional reasoning.