Adolescents' perceptions of moral character : the self-enhancement effect

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of how Chinese adolescents perceive themselves and adolescents in general on moral character traits, and to examine the socio-demographic correlates of perceived moral character traits. Self-report data were acquired from 2,474 adolescents who attended high schools in Hong Kong. Results showed that adolescents perceived the moral traits of themselves as above the midpoint of the scale and the moral traits of the general adolescent population at the midpoint of the scale. Consistent with our hypothesis on the self-enhancement effect, the respondents perceived themselves as more morally superior to the general adolescent population. Female adolescents and those with higher maternal educational levels also showed higher levels of perceived moral character traits. These findings support the selfenhancement effect in the evaluation of moral character traits in Hong Kong adolescents.