Abstract
The relationship between character education and developmental psychology has long been marked by tension. Recent scholarly advances within these two disciplines, however, offer a promising new pathway of dialogue and productive exchange. The present chapter is the result of one such exchange. Our efforts represent an attempt to “psychologize” character in order to clarify its structure and trace its developmental contours. With a clearer picture of the psychological processes contributing to character, we can better identify the best educational practices for promoting its growth. Our discussion focuses on the processes associated with children’s developing self-regulation, autonomy, perspective taking, moral reasoning, empathy, and emotional competence.
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Sokol, B.W., Hammond, S.I., Berkowitz, M.W. (2010). The Developmental Contours of Character. In: Lovat, T., Toomey, R., Clement, N. (eds) International Research Handbook on Values Education and Student Wellbeing. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8675-4_33
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