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What is morality?

To understand moral development, it is important to first define morality. According to Shields and Bredemeier (2007), “morality is about the rights and obligations of people, whether formally or informally.” Moral issues revolve around justice, legitimacy and the welfare of other people. In sports and in physical activity in general, sometimes it is necessary to make decisions about what is right and what is wrong and to take action based on these decisions. For example, individuals may be tempted to cheat or break the rules of a game in order to win, or they may choose to show concern for their injured opponents. Scholars are interested in understanding how and why individuals think and act in a particular way when faced with ethical dilemmas.

What is moral development?

It refers to changes over time in the way people think and behave based on moral rules. Similar to motor development, moral development is a process that involves both growth and maturation.

Moral growth

According to Weiss and Bredemeier (1990), moral growth refers to a increase in moral content or knowledge. Over time, individuals gain more information about what is right and virtuous and distinguish right from wrong.

Moral maturation

Moral maturation refers to qualitative changes in ethical function. Qualitative transformations occur in the ways in which individuals organize and express the content of their moral knowledge (Weiss & Bredemeier, 1986). For example, structural development theorists suggest that individuals progress through distinct stages or levels of moral reason (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2008). In this way, moral development is considered a process in which individuals move from less mature to more mature stages or levels of moral function. Source: “Human Motor Development” -A Lifespan approach (Greg Payne, Larry Isaacs) Recent Articles