ired goal of educators (Wynne and Wahlberg, 1985). Many states actually mandate some form of character education by law. In Nebraska, state statutes 79-214 and 79-215 specifically outline this. Despite this apparent agreement between the public and educators, as well as its legitimacy under law, the teaching of moral behavior and values runs the risk of having a negative impact on the identity formation of the adolescent when the values transmitted to them at school do not mesh with those which are learned at home. Before we can discuss the possible impact of moral education on the values and character as they relate to the identity formation of the adolescent, we need to try and understand what character and values are. Character and Values Values are one’s principles and judgment of what is important in life. “We are expected to develop out own opinions, outlook, stances to things, to a considerable degree through solitary reflection” (Taylor, 1991). However, when defining our identities this is not how things work. An individual’s identity is defined through their dialogue with others, normally those who matter to them. The impact of these dialogues, such as those with our parents, continue to influence us long after they have left our lives (Taylor, 1991). Character is “a complex set of relatively persistent qualities of the individual person, and generally has a positive connotation when used in discussion of moral education” (Pritchard, 1988). Generally, character is observable in one’s conduct (Wynne and Wahlberg, 1985). The definition of one’s character is essentially the 1 definition of one’s lifestyle. Much like values, an individual’s character is influenced by those who matter in one’s life (Campbell and Bond, 1982). Potential Causes of Conflict Diversity and Difference Today we live in an extremely diverse and complex society. It is a society which could argu...
