moral psychology

moral psychology, in psychology and philosophy, the empirical and conceptual study of moral judgment, motivation, and development, among other related topics.

(Read Peter Singer’s Britannica entry on ethics.)

Moral psychology encompasses the investigation of the psychological presuppositions of normative ethical theories, including those regarding freedom of will and determinism and the possibility of altruism or its alternative, psychological egoism (the notion that humans are ultimately motivated only by perceived self-interest). The field is also concerned with the nature of akrasia (weakness of will, an important notion in ancient Greek ethics) and moral self-deception; whether the normative demands of certain ethical theories are realistic or reasonable, given normal human capacities and dispositions; the psychological constitution and development of virtues and of moral character; and the nature and role of the “moral emotions,” such as anger, indignation, compassion, and remorse.

See also moral responsibility, problem of; emotion; and moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of.