Moral Formation: The Motivations Of Young Adults in the Moral Decision-making Process in the Charismatic Tradition

Abstract

Moral formation is a crucial aspect of the training that young Christian leaders have to be exposed to during their education. This article considered the dominant role of transmission based moral education within the moral formation of emerging adults. The empirical study took a holistic focus to analyse the nuances of the moral self and give moral formation the focus it requires. Three major areas of the moral self, namely knowledge, emotion and socialisation, were investigated. These three areas are considered exclusively within the emerging adulthood life stage of charismatic students attending a Christian gap year. This exploratory study made use of a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed with a constructivist framework using content analysis. Findings mainly related to the three focus areas, with the impact of emotions being the most prominent. The influence of the Holy Spirit was also a key finding, as Charismatic emerging adults depended on his guidance during moral decision-making. The data also reflected the significant interaction and overlap of the three areas exercising an influence on emerging adults’ moral decision-making together with its impact on the moral identity of an individual.