Empirical Assessment: Two Facets of Moral Maturity

There is emerging interest and scholarship around the world in character development. Many programs in schools and applied settings are evolving to intentionally develop character. Considerable research work has focused on a single component, "moral reasoning” and undesirable behavioral measures such as “cheating.” Much of the other research completed in this area has focused on “moral excellence” yielding desirable outcomes such as integrity, selflessness and conscientiousness. This study investigated whether or not moral reasoning is significantly related to moral excellence. Using two separate populations of participants, research results establish that “moral reasoning” and “moral excellence” are two distinctive facets of the construct of “moral maturity."