Title: Spirituality and Moral Character Development
1Spirituality and Moral Character Development
- William G. Huitt
- Valdosta State University
Last Revised July 2003
2Moral Character Development
- Considered important for 1000s of years
- Recent revival of its importance
- Multiple definitions
3Moral Character Defined
- . . . engaging in morally relevant conduct or
words, or refraining from certain conduct or
words (Wynne Walberg, 1984) - . . . a complex set of relatively persistent
qualities of the individual person, and generally
has a positive connotation when used in
discussions of moral education (Pritchard, 1988)
4Moral Character Defined
- . . . an individuals set of psychological
characteristics that affect that persons ability
and inclination to function morally (Berkowitz,
2002) - Character implies moral character and a
personality characterized by moral values and
feelings (conscience), the ability to reason
autonomously, sensitively, and fairly about moral
issues (ethical reflection), and the habit of
acting in a manner consistent with ones moral
thinking and moral feeling (virtue) (Vessels,
1998)
5Character Is Who You Are
I look inside myself to see What kind of person I
want to be. I think and feel and choose And do
the best that I can. In the dark or in the
light It deals with doing the wrong and the
right. Ive got to know and do the right To be
the best me.
6Character Is Who You Are
Character is who you are Viewed from within or
from afar. Its the person you become And who
youre known to be. Its what you practice
everyday. Its what you do not just what you
say. To be a Brilliant Star Remember, characters
who you are.
7Character Is Who You Are
I look inside myself to see What kind of person I
want to be. I feel and think and choose And do
the best that I can. In the dark or in the
light It deals with doing the wrong and the
right. Ive got to know and do the right To be
the best me.
8Character Is Who You Are
Character is who you are Viewed from within or
from afar. Its the person you become And who
youre known to be. Its what you practice
everyday. Its what you do not just what you
say. Remember, to be a Brilliant Star Characters
who you are.
9Character Is Who You Are
Character is who you are Viewed from within and
from afar Its the person who you become And who
youre known to be. Its what you practice
everyday. Its what you do not just what you
say. To be a Brilliant Star Remember, characters
who you are.
10Model of Moral Character
Moral Identity
11Spirituality
- Fundamental to many conceptualizations of human
beings - Mind (Thinking, Feeling, Committing)
- Body
- Spirit
- Spirituality is considered inherent quality of
human beings - Naturalism
- Pantheism
- Theism
12Spirituality Defined
- Attempt to understand and connect to the unknowns
of the universe or search for meaningfulness in
ones life (Adler, 1932/1980 Frankl, 1959) - A relationship with the sacred (Beck Walters,
1977) - An individual's experience of and relationship
with a fundamental, nonmaterial aspect of the
universe (Tolan, 2002)
13Spirituality Defined
- The exploration of the meaningfulness of our
lives and our relationships to ourselves, to
others, to nature, or to a higher power (Hamilton
Jackson,1998 Hay Nye, 1998) - Does not necessarily require a belief in God,
Great Spirit, Supreme Creator, etc., but does not
exclude it
14Spirituality Defined
- Spirituality not equated with religion
- Religion refers to organized, institutionalized
set of beliefs, teachings, and practices
established to connect groups of individuals to a
particular expression of spirituality - Can be spiritual without being religious and vice
versa
15Spiritual Development
- In summary, spirituality addresses such questions
as - How can we increase meaning in our lives, in
general, and my life, in particular? - Who are we as human beings? Where did we come
from? How are we related? - Are we in control of our lives or is our
destination a result of fate?
16Spiritual Development
- In summary, spirituality addresses such questions
as - Where did the universe come from? What are its
origins? - Is there a God (in whatever way we define or know
a Supreme Being)? - What is our relationship to God or the Creator,
if there is one? - Is there a continuity of life after this life? If
so, what is it like?
17Relational Consciousness
- Relational consciousness may describe the essence
of spirituality (Hay Nye, 1998) - A type of metacognitive activity that describes
ever increasing consciousness of growth and
opportunity consequences for the individual.
18Relational Consciousness
- Development is considered moving from
- simple to complex
- naïve to sophisticated
- insecurity to confidence
19Relational Consciousness
- Described in terms of the relational aspects of
- self
- others
- nature
- universal unknowns (including or excluding God or
Creator)
20Spirituality Moral Character
- Relational consciousness as the basis for moral
character
- Three categories of spiritual sensitivity
- awareness-sensing (flow, focus)
- mystery-sensing (wonder, awe, imagination)
- value-sensing (ultimate meaning identity)
21Spirituality Moral Character
- RC theory explicitly states
- a cognitive/thinking factor
- an affective/emotional factor
- RC theory implicitly states
- a conative/volitional factor
22Model of Moral Character
Moral Identity
23Ecology of Development
24Impacting Moral Character
- Work to establish affirming, secure environment
among family, school, and other institutions - Develop explicit curriculum that focuses on
virtues, moral principles, and social skills - moral thinking (knowledge base processes)
- valuing
- committing
- behaving
25Vessels Curriculum
- Personal Integrity
- Kindness (knowing how others feel making others
feel better) - Courage (being strong enough to do right when
afraid to do so) - Ability (having skills to figure out what is
right and wrong and behave accordingly) - Effort (striving for excellence perseverance)
26Vessels Curriculum
- Social Integrity
- Friendship (making and maintaining friends
treating others as you want to be treated) - Teamwork (helping to achieve group goals working
well with others) - Citizenship (following rules and laws trying to
make self and community better)
27Example
28Gardners Intelligences
- Verbal/Linguistic
- Logical/Mathematical
- Visual/Spatial
- Bodily/Kinesthetic
- Musical/Rhythmic
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
- Naturalist Intelligence
29References
- Adler, A. (1932/1980). What life should mean to
you. London George Allen Unwin. - Beck, P., Walters, A. (1977). The sacred Ways
of knowledge, sources of life. Tsaile, AZ Navajo
Community College. - Berkowitz, M. (2002). The science of character
education. In W. Damon (Ed.), Bringing in a new
era in character education (43-63). Stanford, CA
Hoover Institute Press. - Frankl, V (1959). Man's search for meaning. New
York Praeger. - Hamilton, D., and Jackson, M. (1998). Spiritual
development Paths and processes. Journal of
Instructional Psychology, 25(4), 262-270. - Hay, D., with Nye, R. (1998). The spirit of the
child. London Fount. - Pritchard, I. (1988). Character education
Research prospects and problems. American Journal
of Education, 96(4), 469-495. - Tolan, S. (202). Spirituality and the highly
gifted adolescent. Charlotte, NC Author.
Retrieved July 2002, from http//www.stephanietola
n.com/spirituality.htm - Vessels, G. (1998). Character and community
development A school planning and teacher
training handbook. Westport, CT Praeger
Publishers. (see http//www.characterthroughtheart
s.org/main.html) - Wynne, E., Walberg, H. (Eds.). (1984).
Developing character Transmitting knowledge.
Posen, IL ARL.