Conflict and Transition in Adolescent Moral Development

Abstract

TURIEL, ELLIOT. Conflict and Transition in Adolescent Moral Development. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1974, 45, 14-29. The process of moving from stage to stage has not been systematically examined in developmental theories. As a consequence, responses reflecting progressive development have been inaccurately categorized as reflecting regressive behavior. The theoretical relations between regression and progression in developmental-stage theories are discussed. A detailed analysis of stage transition in adolescent moral judgments is presented. It is hypothesized that transition from one stage to the next involves a phase of conflict or disequilibrium, during which the existing mode of thinking is reevaluated and a new mode is constructed.