Chapter 2: Moral Thinking And Altruism

When audiences of educators, social scientists, and parents have been asked which of 10 characteristics young adolescents think is the most important quality in the ideal man or woman, these adult audiences often guess that the ideal man or woman should be popular, have a lot of money, or be sexy. Stiles asked adolescents in Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Mexico, Switzerland, South Africa, and the United States the same question. These adolescents seem to know how other adolescents are likely to answer the question and they most often say, “Kind and honest.” The adolescents are correct. Moral thinking and altruism are major themes for young adolescents around the world.