The Moral Judgment of the Child

by Jean Piaget

This classic study examines a problem that stands at the heart of society: How does a child distinguish between right and wrong? Professor Piaget and his colleagues begin their investigation by analyzing the "rules of the game" - in this case a seemingly simple game of marbles - as handed down from one group of children to another. They observe the child's total acceptance of the consensus rules and describe the moral pressure of the group on the individual. Piaget proceeds to an analysis of lying, cheating, adult authority, punishment, and responsibility, noting and evaluating the changing attitudes of growing children toward these "moral realities." The book concludes with a comparison of the findings of this significant study with those theories in social psychology and sociology that bear directly on the moral development of the child.

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Education, Parenting, Science, Psychiatry

428 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Jean Piaget (1896 - 1980) was a Swiss philosopher, natural scientist and developmental theorist, well known for his work studying children, his theory of cognitive development, and his epistemological view called "genetic epistemology." In 1955, he created the International Centre for Genetic Epistemology in Geneva and directed it until his death in 1980. According to Ernst von Glasersfeld, Jean Piaget was "the great pioneer of the constructivist theory of knowing."