Moral reasoning, perceived competence, and adolescent engagement in risky activity

Relations among moral reasoning, domain specific perceived competencies, and self-reported engagement in risky activity (substance use and antisocial behavior) were examined with 110 10th-12th grade students. An exploratory model demonstrated that perceived behavioral competence mediated the relation of moral reasoning and engagement in risky behavior such that preconventional moral reasoning predicted perceptions of low behavioral competence, which was associated with engagement in risky activity. The results support contentions of moral theorists that a comprehensive theory of moral development must include self-regulatory mechanisms such as perceptions of competence in order to predict moral conduct.