37th Annual Student Research Conference
Impact of Group Identity on Moral Predispositions in College Students
Kate H. Justis
Dr. Amber Johnson, Faculty Mentor
For centuries, researchers have sought to further understand the relationship between one's social identity and moral identity. There is a lack of existing discourse, however, on the influence of group identity on the moral predispositions of college students specifically. College students are not only faced with the task of navigating their identity, but also defining their values, which are often tied to group involvement and membership. In my research, I examined the following question: Do college students who are members of the same academic, social, or religious groups tend to share the same moral predispositions? I distributed surveys to undergraduate students at Truman State University and conducted various analyses in order to test the relationship between group membership and moral predispositions. Ultimately, no significant correlations were found between moral predispositions and specific academic, social, or religious groups, however unexpected findings indicated a relationship between participants' moral reasoning and career plan.
Keywords: identity, group membership, moral predispositions, moral reasoning
Topic(s):Sociology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 304-3
Location: SUB Georgian Room C
Time: 1:15