Abstract

ECHAVARRIA GRAJALES, Carlos Valerio  and  VASCO MONTOYA, Eloísa. MORAL JUSTIFICATIONS OF THE GOOD THING AND BAD THING IN A GROUP OF CHILDREN FROM VIOLENT AND NON-VIOLENT CONTEXTS IN A CITY OF THE COLOMBIAN ANDEAN REGION. Act.Colom.Psicol. [online]. 2006, vol.9, n.1, pp.51-62. ISSN 0123-9155.

The purpose of this research project was to identify and compare the moral reasoning of a group of children from a violent context and a group of children from a non-violent context in a city of the Colombian Andean region. A two-group multiple-case study design was used. Five fourth-grade children from a violent context and five fourth-grade children from a non-violent context, aged 9 to 11, participated in separate workshops during which they expressed and gave examples of what they considered good and bad by means of individual drawings, group dramatizations and discussions, as well as group interviews. Results indicate that children in both contexts share some moral preoccupations, such as protection of the environment, preservation of life and keeping of order. There were also differences. Among them, in the violent context children emphasized the preservation of their own lives and loyalty. In the non-violent context there was a marked tendency to political considerations regarding the legally established order. Conclusions show that children in the violent context place great emphasis on loyalty as an action-guiding principle. It seems to require greater study because loyalty might emerge as a moral orientation beyond those already widely accepted: justice and care.

Keywords : moral justification; moral sense; violent context; non-violent context; moral judgment.

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