Urban America as a context for the development of moral identity in adolescence

Moral identity, defined as a self-consistent commitment to lines of action benefiting others, is described in the contexts of adolescence and poor, ur ban neighborhoods. A model of moral identity development is proposed. Accor ding to the model, stable characteristics of the individual and the individ ual's family, in conjunction with social attitudes, self-conceptions, and o pportunities for the exploration of prosocial action, influence the develop ment of moral identity. Analyses from the National Longitudinal Survey of Y outh provide support for the model, and demonstrate that urban poverty is a ssociated with few opportunities for development of moral identity. We argu e that the provision of these opportunities should be given a high priority both to foster good individual development and as a means for increasing s ocial capital in neighborhoods.