Moral Behaviour

A FOUR COMPONENT MODEL OF MORAL BEHAVIOR
The Four Component Model (Narvaez & Rest, 1995; Rest, 1979) represents the internal
“processes” necessary for a moral act to ensue: moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral
r virtues; rather they are major units of analysis used to trace how a person responds in a particular social situation.

The model depicts an “ensemble of processes,” not a single, unitary one. Therefore, the
operation of a single component does not predict moral behavior. Instead, behaving morally
depends upon each process and the execution of the entire ensemble.

Each process involves cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects that function together in fostering the completion of a moral action.

Collectively, the following processes comprise the Four Component
(1) “Ethical sensitivity” involves perceiving the relevant elements in the
situation and constructing an interpretation of those elements. This first component also includes consideration of what actions are possible, who and what might be affected by each possible action, and how the involved parties might react to possible outcomes.
(2) “Ethical judgment” relates to reasoning about the possible actions and deciding which is most moral or ethical.
(3)“Ethical motivation” involves prioritizing what is considered to be the most moral or ethical
action over all others and being intent upon following that course.
(4) “Ethical action” combines the strength of will with the social and psychological skills necessary to carry out the intended course of action. This fourth component, then, is dependent both on having the requisite skills and on persisting in the face of any obstacles or challenges to the action that may rise.


In fact, Friedman (1997) has shown that moral sensitivity and reasoning adolescents’ decisions and opinions regarding the acceptability of taking action violating copyright protection by making illegal copies of computer programs (i.e., pirating) or invading someone’s privacy through unauthorized access to (i.e., hacking) their computer files.