ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some psychological theories of moral development. An appreciation of the theories of moral development may guide sports researchers and practitioners in their efforts to understand how sports participants feel, think, and act in moral conflict situations. The psychoanalytic model of moral development focuses upon the manner in which children and adults deal with the emotional component of morality. The focus of the psychoanalytic perspective on moral development is usually on how the individual deals with his or her own transgressions in moral conflict situations. The cognitive-developmental perspective, especially that of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, has focused upon underlying judgmental and reasoning processes in moral thinking. The social learning perspective has focused upon the actual behavior of people when confronted with moral conflict situations. The transition from moral realism to moral autonomy is accomplished by a development of cognitive abilities and by specific social experiences.
