Character and Moral Development

Character and moral development is the process of exploring, refining, and embracing the core values deemed necessary for survival in a culture. Exemplars of such values include compassion; caring and empathy for others and their feelings; honesty; respect for life; tolerance of differences; fairness and forgiveness; justice and a clear sense of right and wrong; spiritual sensitivity and faith; and altruism. Character and moral development are relevant to the study of giftedness because it is broadly recognized by prominent researchers in the field (e.g., Michael Piechowski, Linda Silverman, and Donald Ambrose) that the cognitive complexity and personality traits of gifted individuals often enable them to have heightened sensitivity and reasoning concerning moral issues both as children and as adults. An analysis of the topic includes ...