Recollection and evaluation of critical experiences in moral development: A cross-sectional examination

A sample of 376 adolescents and adults (ages 15-83) were asked to provide n arrative accounts of the single experience they considered to have been the most important in their moral development. In addition, they were asked to rate the extent to which (a) they learned a variety of lessons as a result of their cited experience and (b) the recalled experience was perceived as positive and negative (both at the time of the experience and looking back on it). Age-related increases were observed in lessons learned regarding r eligion and 4 other-focused themes: social responsibility, trust, justice, and care. However, age differences were not observed in lessons learned reg arding 2 self-focused themes: self-understanding and independence. With res pect to the affective quality of the experience, participants generally con sidered the episode to have been more positive looking back on it than they did at the time of the experience. In addition, adolescents and young adul ts reported that the episode they cited was generally more negative than di d middle-aged and older adults.