Adolescent girls' perceptions of goodness and badness and the role of will in their behavioral decisions

The present study explored adolescents' ethical self-images and related behavioral decisions. Data were collected from two groups of adolescent girls (N = 49) using an open-ended survey. One group attended a public high school for gifted students and the other group attended an alternative public high school. The results indicate that goodness is connected with altruism, adherence to external standards, or self-beneficial actions. Alternatively, badness is associated with going against social norms, harming others, or violating inner values. In these two groups overall, decisions about how to behave seem influenced by both inner standards and relational pulls. Differences between the two groups are also discussed.