The Development of Respect in Children and Adolescents
Volume 85, Issue 3, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development
By Tina Malti, Joanna Peplak, and Linlin Zhang
Included in this issue:
Abstract
Respect is paradoxical: its use vastly exceeds what is known about its origin and development. In this monograph, Tina Malti, Joanna Peplak, and Linlin Zhang explore children’s and adolescents’ thinking and feelings about respect. Using a novel mixed-method approach, the authors investigate how children and adolescents, ages 5, 7, 11, and 15 years, make meaning of and express respect toward others. Contrary to prominent developmental theories on respect, the findings reveal that respect across ages is predominantly viewed as a kindness virtue and thus ethical in nature. It becomes enmeshed in fairness concerns during adolescence. Overall, the findings suggest that respect is rooted in kindness and fairness, which may have implications for efforts aimed at nurturing well-being and relationships across childhood and adolescence.
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About the Authors
Tina Malti
Department of Psychology,
University of Toronto
Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy,
University of Toronto Mississauga
Tina Malti, Ph.D., is a professor of developmental and clinical psychology and directs the Laboratory for Social-Emotional Development and Intervention at the University of Toronto. She is an associate editor of Child Development and president-elect of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development.
Joanna Peplak
Department of Psychology,
University of Toronto
Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy,
University of Toronto Mississauga
Joanna Peplak, M.A., is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto. Ms. Peplak’s research focuses on the development of ethical emotions using both qualitative and quantitative methods. She is interested in how children make meaning of their emotional experiences and in the roles ethical emotions play in motivating social behaviors.
Linlin Zhang
School of Psychology,
Capital Normal University, Beijing
Linlin Zhang, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of psychology in the School of Psychology at the Capital Normal University, Beijing. Her research focuses on the interplay among social behaviors (e.g., social withdrawal), peer relationships, and school adjustment in childhood and adolescence across diverse sociocultural contexts, as well as risks and resilience of children in adverse contexts.
Commentaries
Can Conceptions of Respect Be Useful in Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination? by Christia Spears Brown
The Developmental Roots of Respect and its Role in Development by Jeremy I. M. Carpendale
Children’s Developing Respect: Looking to Future Research by Tracy L. Spinrad
Videos
Overview: The Development of Respect in Children and Adolescents
Authors Tina Malti and Joanna Peplak provide an overview of the aims, methods, findings, and implications of their research in, “The Development of Respect in Children and Adolescents,” Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 85(3).
A Discussion on Respect with Dr. Tina Malti (Part I)
In this video, the lead author of the SRCD Monograph issue 85.3, Tina Malti, In this video, Monograph Matters Associate Editor, Lauren J. Myers, sits with Tina Malti (University of Toronto) to discuss her issue of SRCD Monograph titled, “The Development of Respect in Children and Adolescents.” Dr. Malti details the goals, methods, and challenges of her work which examines how children’s and adolescents’ concept of respect develops.
A Discussion on Respect with Dr. Tina Malti (Part II)
In part two of their discussion on respect, Monograph Matters Associate Editor, Lauren J. Myers, and lead author, Tina Malti (University of Toronto), discuss the key findings and implications of Dr. Malti’s work published in the SRCD monograph, “The Development of Respect in Children and Adolescents.”
Teaching and Research Resources
Teaching and research materials are designed to be useful in various educational levels. Video, lecture slides, and classroom materials related to respect are appropriate for undergraduate and graduate classes on social development or research methods (e.g., how to interview children). Materials for K-12 teachers and other adults provide ideas for fostering conversations about respect with children and adolescents.
