Depression and moral identity in adolescence

The theoretical and empirical examination on hand is devoted to the analysis of the relation between depression in adolescence and the development of moral identity. Corresponding to theoretical forecasts a distinct depressive syndrome is found which presupposes the development of feelings of guilt, only with the attainment of the conventional moral level. As ambivalence conflicts have to be seceded and denied to a considerable extent, because of the proximity to real conflicts of the adolescents also the moral dilemmas in the examination according to Kohlberg are distorted and perceived filtered by defence processes; there results, correspondingly, a close connection between the formation of the depression and lower sociomoral level. In the same way, because of the predicted massive ambiguityintolerance of depressive persons also the difference between highest possible judgement level and average level found in relations to the formation of the depression is slighter; the socio-moral development is stimulated correspondingly less. The image of depression in adolescence which correlates with these findings on moral development is equivalent in its dimensions of restricted life world and distorted lifestyle to results gained previously from larger random tests on depressive toning down in adolescence (comp. Reinhard 1986).