Moral Development

Back to Part I: Barriers to Moral Development

Last April, the National Advisory Council (NAC), chaired by Dr. C. Everett Koop, met on Wheaton's campus with a select group of Wheaton College faculty and students about moral development. The purpose of this meeting was to identify the most significant factors shaping individual moral growth and the ability to make moral decisions. After a time in which each NAC member identified key factors in his or her life, NAC member Mr. Jim Anderson guided the participants through a decision process resulting in a prioritized list of factors. These factors were then ranked by the participants. The results of the meeting and the process are summarized in this report.

What have been the most significant factors shaping your moral growth and your ability to make moral decisions?

Family Role Models

parents or other family members

Other Role Models

educators, coaches, friends, leaders

Community

faith community, neighborhood, or any other community

Commitment to Personal Accountability

mutual close friendships in which accountability is a key factor

Experiences interacting with acknowledge moral leaders

Learning from moral failures

of self (this requires honesty with self)
of others

Practicing moral judgment and action

facing tough challenges
meeting the expectations of others

Cultivation of moral insight through direct instruction in ethical theory

Heightening of moral awareness

through film, literature, or experiences such as mission trips in the developing world (or other interaction with the impoverished

Commitment to Biblical standards

this leads to a "moral compass"

For the purpose of this graph, each vote represents a certain number of points; a vote of "5" (most important) is granted 5 points on the graph, a vote of "4", 4 points, etc. Each respondent voted for his or her top five factors and ranked them in order of importance.

By Kyle MacKenney, Office Associate

Shaping the factors into two distinct categories can help us interpret these results. By describing the first five factors as interpersonal, and the last five factors as intrapersonal, two insights appear from the data.

Direct mentoring is a key to moral formation. This role modeling can occur in the family or from an outside source, such as the school or the church. Community itself is not enough, as evidenced by the low score on our survey. One can get lost in the shuffle of any community, regardless of size. We find the true moral development occurring in the one-on-one relationships spoken about by Proverbs 27.17: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (NIV). Personal accountability, whether to a mentor or to a peer, is also necessary. We cannot underestimate the impact that accountability has on our lives and must continue to place ourselves in relationships that foster this.
A lifestyle of analysis and determined action is necessary for moral growth. This analysis can take many forms, from self-analysis to reflection upon moral failures in the news. Heightening of moral awareness through film, literature, and personal experiences also provides material from which to learn. The analysis must lead to implementation. Although this is often difficult, it is the daily routine of rising to the challenge, as well as meeting the expectations of others, that ingrains the learning into our lives.

We welcome your comments on this project. If you would like to contribute your own rankings (choose five factors and rank them with 5 as the highest), or some written thoughts, please e-mail us your response.