Children’s and adolescents’ ideas about Good and Evil in the context of sociodynamics of moral consciousness

Abstract

The paper explores the historical development of conceptual and regulatory factors shaping moral consciousness as one of the forms and social practices of public consciousness. It examines the moral ideas of children and adolescents through the lens of contemporary consciousness studies, focusing, in particular, on how children and adolescents conceptualize Good and Evil in their figurative, symbolic and discursive representations. The empirical methodology of the study includes drawing projections and the questionnaire developed by L. S. Akopyan. The sample conmiddle grades. The findings reveal common figurative themes related to Good and Evil: people, city, nature, and animals. The symbolic images vary in objectivity and abstractness encompassing religious, social and communicative, and other elements. Notably, among numerous symbolic representations of Good and Evil produced by the studied sample, the study identified no representations of socially deviant or delinquent subcultures. Written evidence collected from children and adolescents in the form of statements, judgments, assessments, and reasoning reveals a structured understanding of Good and Evil empirically categorized by actions, personal traits, and emotional states. The structure also includes synonymous definitions alongside contrasting concepts. The visual representations of Good and Evil — sensory-perceptual consciousness — serve as a foundational layer of moral consciousness, while the symbolic and discursive elements contribute to a higher-order consciousness more pronounced in adolescents. Age-related gender differences introduce additional complexity to hypothetical interpretations. Overall, the study indicates that modern children and adolescents show no trace of mythological or pagan moral ideas. Instead, they retain some religious (Christian, in the studied sample) symbols of Good and Evil, while showing some emerging trend for social media symbols and relevant discourse. This research, grounded in contemporary understanding of consciousness, contributes to the enhancement of common international and Russian practices used to assess the moral development of children and adolescents.