Morality ideas?

Question

for my research project i have to pick a topic and then form some questions about it.

i picked the source of teenage morality. so far some question ideas i had were:

-what kinds of morality trends exist?

-how does our upbringing shape our morals?

so, im asking for any help you can provide. i dont mean doing my work for me, i mean suggestions on what i could do better, or an interesting direction to aim a question.

thanks muchly =]

Answer 1

look into developmental psychology: stages of morality.  kohlberg, piaget, etc.

It seems that people's morality changes in clear predictable stages as they grow up - some people go through the stages faster than others, and some never get very far, but it is the same stages for everyone.  Early stages are more clearly defined, later stages are more vague and complex.

I find it gives a very profound understanding of the whole issue.

Answer 2

First, to peg morality to a trend, at least a trend that is measured  in the lives of a teen ager, aren't morals, they are social NORMS.

Morality is ALMOST never associated with time or the times. Slavery, while practiced, condoned, enshrined into our Constitution, and some 625,000 men died either defending it or fighting it, was NEVER a morally accepted precept.  This idea butts effectively with your second question, <

-how does our upbringing shape our morals>

The morality of something can BEST be summed up in the application of the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

No person, brought up in the deep south in the early 18th century, could possibly have held that the idea of slavery was OK, if the practice were to ever be visited upon them.

Answer 3

Here are some questions:

1) when in history do you think morals changed?

2) where do you think morals are headed?

3) What does respect & morals mean to you?

4) What are some moral issues YOU as a teen think need to be changed/corrected in this generation?

5) Do you respect those with manners and morals more than people who do not show them?

6) do YOU consider yourself a moral person?

7) Have YOU ever done anything immoral? IF so, how did you feel afterward?

8) What can each teen do to make a difference in moral resurrection, so that your kids will have a better life?

Hope this helps... they are thought provoking and questions I would like to know. =D

Answer 4

talk about how TV and movies shape a teenagers life and they want to be like the stars they see on TV.

Answer 5

Suggestions:

Examining whether a correlation between religion and morality exists.  (Also faith and morality, since religion and faith aren't the same thing).

Comparing different culture's definitions of morality.

Examining whether morality is absolute or merely based on the accepted norms of society.

Questioning whether one's circumstances can absolve one from immoral behavior.  If so, to what degree?  If not, are there exceptions?  

Questioning whether humans have the moral authority to murder humans considered harmful to society.  If so, from what do we derive our ability to judge right from wrong (if it is from a religious text, then what about the principal of separation of Church and State?)?  If not, then are we condoning immoral behavior?

Evaluating whether humans have an obligation merely to avoid immoral behavior themselves, or to actively seek to destroy it.

Questioning whether evil thoughts which aren't acted on are immoral.  Would that change if the person was merely unable to act on them?

Evaluating whether good intent or good results are more important in determining morality or lack thereof (means vs. ends debate).

Do you need more?  I have plenty of other ideas...

Answer 6

It really depends on how the person in question was raised until the point at which you are to evaluate their morals. Standard value systems you'll find in your average high school population are religion-based, nihilistic, and academic-derived.

-The first is probably going to be the most common. Most people never spend an adequate amount of time evaluating value systems on their own and will usually go with whatever their parents taught them. In turn, those parents rarely spent time doing the same, and so on. The only value system presented to the majority of people is religious. Once a value system is set it is hard to challenge, hence few people will venture far from their set religious background. There are some who seek out religion without a parent-instilled value for it, but this is hard to find among young people.

-The second, nihilism, is the rejection of the idea that life has an inherent meaning. This will lead one of two ways: angry/depressed nihilism ("Why should I care? Life is meaningless.") and cheerful nihilism ("Life doesn't matter, so I embrace it and assign it my own subjective meaning.").

-The third (which many times encompasses the second) is usually only found within more bookish groups. These teenagers have done what most people never do and have actually sought out knowledge about value systems and have taken the time to ponder in order to either accept or reject their premises. Common types of moral foundations accepted include Objectivism, Existentialism (oftentimes a product of the aforementioned Cheerful Nihilism), Equality (race/gender/species), and Socialist/Communist perspectives.

At its base, however, if a parent has failed to instill educational regard, this will dictate the range of options open to their child.

Please keep in mind that this list is in no way exhaustive. There is much too much to say about philosophy to fit it all here. Try asking questions about a subject's background before asking specific questions about their personal values.

Do check out Wikipedia (for some basic information) and other sources to learn more about the value systems I mentioned and others. If you go on to study this more, I'm sure you'll find philosophy very rewarding!

Answer 7

i dont know if this is what u are looking for but my morality revovles around music

Answer 8

The role of parents is an interesting one

Answer 9

* I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IDEAS, therefore do not take them personally, just ideas*

some points of view:

-due to technology, people are becoming less religious and more violent

- since both parents are gone working , no one is home to teach values to children

- people speak their minds= less fear of saying rude or inappropriate things

-culture portrays cool as immoral in some instances

Answer 10

Perhaps study/discuss the morality of teenage sexuality. What kind of upbringing and social mores influences teens to engage in sexual behavior? And what factors influence their moral compass with regards to abortion? I think this is a pretty relevant topic, given the high prevalence of pregnancy among teenage girls.

Furthermore, you can investigate what moral issues arise when considering the moral responsibility of these pregnant teens' parents. How does their pregnancy reflect upon their parents, and for those teens who decide to have the child, what morals are in question here? What kind of parents will they make and what kind of life(style) will they provide? You can bring morals all into that.

Best to you!

Answer 11

Nice topic- A few inputs you may consider! Morality whether teenage or any other is a relative term- What was considered morality in the 20's was different in the 40's and 60's and now in 2000 it is again different! This changes with generations , technology,  more interest in the  way people think and react, some cultures impose and treat certain moral beliefs within their communities- Some cultures use emotional blackmail to keep their communities on the straight & narrow path , as only this kind of threat is/was understood by most illiterate people, some use religion and put the fear of the Unknown, most times it is for the good of the people concerned but as  people have had more exposure to an intelligent way of reasoning , these old so called Moral values are questioned.

Upbringing shapes the young mind into absorbing their role models, You are taught at your mothers knee that it is not right to steal, lie , use profanity - Even today despite so much of what the world has become, there are countless people who live by a decent moral code- their upbringing may or may not have  been  very strict but they do follow the simple rules of universal morals-

in the olden days it was considered a SIN to have  premarital s*x, you could only have  a physical relationship when you were legally married- Today having s*x in most cultures is as normal as having a 'latte' at star-bucks! Yet in a lot of old cultures of Asia it is still considered as WRONG- but young people feel its Ok if they use protection What maybe a moral code for one may not be for another, that does not make a person  bad- Its choice they make and be responsible for their actions and take accountability

Hope this helps