Shazia Irfan; Supervisor: Rukhsana Kausar, PhD
The present study aimed to examine the psychosocial correlates of moral judgement in adolescents in Pakistan. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between family environments, personality and emotional intelligence and family environment, personality and emotional intelligence would predict moral judgment and moral competence in adolescents. Sample comprised of 351 adolescents (n = 172 male; n = 179 female) recruited from public and private educational schools, colleges and private academies of Lahore, Pakistan. Family Environment Scale (FES; Bhatia & Chadha, 1993), BFI-10 (Rammsted & Jhon, 2007). Scale of Emotional Intelligence (SEI; Batool & Khalid, 2009), Padua Moral Judgment Scale (Comunian, 2002) and Moral Competence Test (Lind, 1978-2014) were used for assessment. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Family environment and its dimension cohesion, emotional intelligence and its factors interpersonal skill, empathy and problem solving had positive relationship with moral judgment, while mother education had negative relationship with moral judgment. In case of male adolescents, family environment as well as family cohesion, active recreation, emotional intelligence and its factors interpersonal skill and empathy were found to be positively correlated with moral judgment. Personality trait, conscientiousness, had significant positive relationship with moral competence. In female adolescents, parental education and family system had negative, while emotional intelligence and factors, interpersonal skill and empathy had positive relationship with moral judgment. Personality trait, openness to experience, showed negative relationship with moral competence. Father education, cohesive family environment and empathy significantly predicted moral judgment while father education, independence in family, agreeableness and openness to experience and empathy significantly predicted stage 1 and 4 of moral judgment development. While academic class, father education number of siblings, family cohesion, conflict, active recreation, independence, personality traits extraversion and agreeableness empathy and flexibility were significant predictors of 7 socio moral values. Father education, independence in the family and personality trait neuroticism significantly predicted moral competence, while age, academic class, mother education, independence and active recreation in family, personality traits agreeableness and neuroticism, factors of emotional intelligence flexibility and interpersonal skill significantly predicted six kohlbergian stages of moral development. Findings are important in the context of family functioning and schooling about their positive contribution for rising moral generation, as emotional intelligence and personality are developed and fostered in the framework of good parenting, family and educational environment.
Keywords: Moral Judgment, moral competence, family environment, personality, emotional intelligence.
