Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2020 Apr 30:43:e75.
doi: 10.1017/S0140525X19002401.

The moral obligations of conflict and resistance

Affiliations
Comment

The moral obligations of conflict and resistance

Melanie Killen et al. Behav Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Morality has two key features: (1) moral judgments are not solely determined by what your group thinks, and (2) moral judgments are often applied to members of other groups as well as your own group. Cooperative motives do not explain how young children reject unfairness, and assert moral obligations, both inside and outside their groups. Resistance and experience with conflicts, alongside cooperation, is key to the emergence and development of moral obligation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • The many faces of obligation.
    Tomasello M. Tomasello M. Behav Brain Sci. 2020 Apr 30;43:e89. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X19002620. Behav Brain Sci. 2020. PMID: 32349841

Comment on

References

    1. Chalik L, & Rhodes M (2013). Social categories as markers of intrinsic interpersonal obligations. Psychological Science, 24, 999–1006. Doi. 10.1177/0956797612466267 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dahl A (2014). Definitions and developmental processes in research on infant morality. Human Development, 57, 241–249. doi:10.1159/000364919. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dahl A, & Killen M (2018). Moral reasoning: Theory and research in developmental science In Wixted J (Ed.), The Steven’s handbook of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, Vol. 3: Developmental and social psychology (Ghetti S, Vol. Ed.), 4th edition. New York: Wiley.
    1. Elenbaas L (2019). Interwealth contact and young children’s concern for equity. Child Development, 90, 108–116. doi:10.1111/cdev.13157. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gaither S, Chen E, Corriveau K, Harris P, Ambady N, & Sommers S (2014). Monoracial and biracial children: Effects of racial identity saliency on social learning and social preferences. Child Development, 85, 2299–316. doi:10.1111/cdev.12266 - DOI - PMC - PubMed