DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTINCTION AMONG THE DESIRABLE, MORALITY, AND PERSONAL PREFERENCE

Israeli children of grades 1, 4, and 7 were asked, with respect to nin e types of behavior, whether such behavior is bad, whether a child sho uld be brought up to behave otherwise (and why), whether a child shoul d be required to behave otherwise, and whether such behavior should be punished. Analysis of their responses and the reasons they provided s upports the hypothesized distinction between three categories of behav iors or reasons for action-morality, 'the desirable,' and personal pre ferences-in terms of two dimensions. desirability and obligatoriness. Specifically, moral norms were perceived as both desirable and strictl y obligatory, and were justified in terms of inherent goodness/badness and the welfare of others. Behaviors in the category of 'the desirabl e' were perceived as desirable but not obligatory, and were justified in terms of self-development and long-term utility. Behaviors in the c ategory of personal preferences were perceived as non-obligatory and n either desirable nor undesirable, and were justified in terms of perso nal choice. This distinction was less sharp among first graders, who e xhibited some tendency to view desirables and preferences, as well as moral behavior, as obligatory. In light of these findings, it is sugge sted that the young child's 'intuitive morality' relates only to the d imension of desirability and not to that of obligatoriness, which seem s to develop somewhat later.