• Where morality is taught"Vrijthof Maastricht Sunset" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: >WouteR< (Wouter) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• The late Lawrence Kohlberg, a former Professor of Social Psychology at Harvard University, asserted that all people are extremely egocentric during the earliest phases of life, but over time, continue to develop until achieving a principled morality.
  
  

Religion

• Belief in laws given by a supreme being is often a crucial factor in moral development. Still, millions of nonreligious people around the world lead morally exemplary lives.
  
  

The Family

• Family life plays a very important role in a child's moral development. Melanie Killen, in the "Handbook of Moral Development" points out that a youngster's understanding of morality derives from the parent's socialization techniques.
  
  

Peer Pressure

• For teenagers in particular, peer pressure is a powerful force. Young people and adults alike, however, often adopt the moral behavior of the groups with which they are most comfortable.
  
  

Considerations

• In spite of the many forces that influence moral development, a person might just develop his own sense of morality based upon his personal experience.