A Critical Examination of the Moral Development Model in Attribution Theory

Document Type : Professional

Author

Researcher, Research Department for Ethics, Research Center for Ethics and Spirituality, ‎Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy, Qom, Iran.‎

Abstract

Explaining the causes and motivations behind the behaviors and judgments of others is one of the most important aspects of human social life, which today is explored in social psychology, particularly in attribution theory. One of the significant findings of attribution theory that contributes to a more precise understanding of ethical life is the notion that the perception and manner of attributing the causes of behavior to others has a profound effect on individuals' moral interactions and judgments. The aim of the present article is to provide an accurate explanation of the dimensions of this phenomenon and to critically evaluate it. First, a report on the influential dimensions of attributions in ethical life is presented, and in the final section, using an analytical method, the validity and invalidity of the claims of this theory within the domain of moral development are examined. The findings of the first part indicate that attributions influence moral judgments, moral emotions and feelings, and the internalization of ethics by modifying the mechanisms of reward and punishment. In the concluding section, eleven criticisms are raised against the theory's function in explaining moral development, with the central focus being the dichotomy between internal and external moral motivation.

Keywords

References

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Morality and Psychology
Volume 1, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
August 2025
Pages 223-249

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