Emotions in Contexts of Conflict and Morality: Developmental Perspectives

Moral Development in Adolescence

“…For example, technology such as eye trackers and facial analysis software has been used to study when and why moral emotions emerge. That is, examining youths' visual attention to morally relevant stimuli (e.g., an image of a peer who is distressed) using an eyetracker and concurrently assessing their spontaneous emotional responses may provide insight into how attentional processes influence emotions and, in turn, prompt behavioral responses (e.g., comforting or helping the distressed peer; Malti et al, 2018). The analysis of facial expressions (at both micro-and macro levels) also allows for unique insight into the role of automatic and controlled processes in youths' spontaneous emotional responses to morally relevant stimuli (e.g., Dys & Malti, 2016;Malti et al, 2018).…”

“…That is, examining youths' visual attention to morally relevant stimuli (e.g., an image of a peer who is distressed) using an eyetracker and concurrently assessing their spontaneous emotional responses may provide insight into how attentional processes influence emotions and, in turn, prompt behavioral responses (e.g., comforting or helping the distressed peer; Malti et al, 2018). The analysis of facial expressions (at both micro-and macro levels) also allows for unique insight into the role of automatic and controlled processes in youths' spontaneous emotional responses to morally relevant stimuli (e.g., Dys & Malti, 2016;Malti et al, 2018). Finally, because approximately half of youths' interactions with friends occur face-to-face, researchers are now employing methods that capture important nuances in social expressions within peer interactions, such as tone of voice, that are not captured by traditional rating scales (e.g., Morningstar et al, 2017).…”

Dispositional and situational moral emotions, bullying and prosocial behavior in adolescence

“…As in the perspective of the study by Eisenberg (2000), they also emphasized that these types of emotions, unlike other more basic ones, require cognitive processes and self-reflection that promote awareness of affective consequences for the self and for others (Malti & Dys, 2015). Therefore, recently, Malti et al (2019) classified these emotions according to their orientation, considering whether they are more focused on satisfying one's self or on promoting the well-being of others (self-oriented emotions "pride and guilt" vs. other-oriented emotions "respect and sympathy"). They also categorize moral emotions by their valence (positive, if the social situation is aligned with one's own moral principles, or negative, if the social situation transgresses one's own moral principles (Malti et al, 2019).…”

“…Therefore, recently, Malti et al (2019) classified these emotions according to their orientation, considering whether they are more focused on satisfying one's self or on promoting the well-being of others (self-oriented emotions "pride and guilt" vs. other-oriented emotions "respect and sympathy"). They also categorize moral emotions by their valence (positive, if the social situation is aligned with one's own moral principles, or negative, if the social situation transgresses one's own moral principles (Malti et al, 2019).…”

Aware and tuned to care: Children with better distress recognition and higher sympathy anticipate more guilt after harming others

“…Guilt is a self‐conscious, negative feeling over wrongdoing (Malti, ). A healthy dose of guilt after deliberately harming others is considered an adaptive social response—especially if it is wrapped up in ethical concerns of fairness, justice, harm, or the victim's welfare (Malti, Dys, Colasante, & Peplak, ). Ethical guilt helps children monitor their social behaviour and make adjustments to improve how they treat others (Malti, Gummerum, Keller, & Buchmann, ).…”