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Psic: revista da Vetor Editora

Print version ISSN 1676-7314

Abstract

VALE, Liana Gama do  and  ALENCAR, Heloisa Moulin de. Moral judgments of children and adolescents on the absence of generosity and punishment. Psic [online]. 2008, vol.9, n.2, pp. 235-244. ISSN 1676-7314.

In this study we investigated, based on a psychogenetic context, if for children and adolescents the absence of generosity should be punished. Thirty students from a public school in Vitória, ES took part on this research, their ages were seven, ten, and thirteen years old. The participants were individually interviewed based on a story-dilemma about the absence of generosity. We found out that the majority of the participants suggested a talking face to face, and not punishment, when detecting the lack of generosity. This answer is predominant on the three age groups, but the correspondent percentage increases as the age also increase. The seven year old participants, who did not opt for punishment, differentiated the absence of generosity from those that the transgressions deserved punishment, but only the interviewees of ten and thirteen years old showed characteristics which made evident the specification of this virtue. We therefore emphasize that generosity is a part of the moral universe of the participants and that, although considering the lack of it reproachable, do not indicate punishment as a consequence.

Keywords : Moral judgment; Generosity; Punishment.

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