Understanding Family-Based Mechanisms in Teaching Ethics and Moral Values to Children
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Abstract
This literature-based study investigates the emotional and behavioral mechanisms through which families transmit moral and ethical values to children. It highlights how interactions within the family—ranging from modeling, storytelling, disciplinary reasoning, to shared rituals—form the earliest ethical foundations in a child’s life. Drawing from interdisciplinary sources in psychology, sociology, and education, the paper synthesizes insights on the emotional resonance and consistency of these mechanisms, particularly in the face of contemporary disruptions such as digital media and socioeconomic pressures. Key findings emphasize the importance of emotionally attuned parenting, inductive reasoning, and ritualized moral practices, while also identifying challenges posed by reduced family time and conflicting external influences. The review concludes that while familial moral instruction remains indispensable, its effectiveness is increasingly vulnerable to societal change. The study calls for renewed attention to the home environment as the earliest and most enduring source of ethical formation. This paper contributes to scholarly discourse by offering a consolidated framework of family-based moral education and by urging future research and policy to support and strengthen these mechanisms.
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