The difference between right and wrong lies in perception. Therefore, morals differ among people and families. Children learn how to communicate and interact by observing their parents, siblings and others. Probably the most important influence is that of parents.
Modeling
Psychologist Albert Bandura developed a social learning theory after studying aggressive tendencies in children. According to Bandura's theory, people learn behaviors by watching others. This process of watching and learning begins at birth. As children grow older, they watch their parents model moral behavior. Parents who model socially appropriate behaviors for their children provide a foundation for healthy moral development.
Values
Like morals, a child's value system develops over time through observation. Parents instill values through the behaviors they model. But they also instill values by taking every opportunity to talk with their children. Imagine yourself traveling with your children. Observing the speed limit as you drive demonstrates good values for your child. Taking the opportunity to explain the importance of obeying traffic laws strengthens the value you are teaching.
Peers
As children enter their early teens their need to fit in with their peers increases. When a child's moral code differs from that of her peers, her moral code will likely shift. Parents can be a stabilizing influence by being actively involved at this time in their children's lives.
Significance
Parents can strengthen a child's moral code by following the morals and values they teach. Parents influence the morals and values of their teenage children when they are involved with them and know their friends.
History
Debate regarding whether morals were learned or inherited began as early as the 18th century in France. The National Institutes of Health reports that physicians argued that "a number of social pathologies were truly hereditary and that these diseases spread within the family itself." Some argue today that morals can be inherited.
