Moral Development & Realityis, in my view, the most important new theoretical account of moral development to appear since the turn of the century. Acknowledging the challenges of nativism, pragmatism, contextualism, and relativism, Gibbs makes a powerful case for objectivity, agency, rationality, and progress in a theory that draws creatively on traditional cognitive and affective theories of moral development and ultimately transcends both Kohlberg and Hoffman. The book manages, moreover, to be both practical and inspiring. Having cited this book repeatedly and assigned it to my students every semester for the past several years, I am delighted to see this thoroughly updated second edition. #xA0; - David Moshman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln #xA0; #xA0; "A bold, penetrating, and cutting-edge analysis. Gibbs brings clarity to current discussions about the nature of moral experience unmatched by his contemporaries and offers his own original synthesis. Those who read the first edition will want to read Gibbs#x19; fresh appraisal of current debates about how breakthroughs in evolutionary biology, affectivity, motivation, identity, prosocial behavior, and near-death experiences are influencing our understanding of moral development and the person." #xA0; - F.

Clark Power, University of Notre Dame #xA0; #xA0; "Every chapter in this second edition has been refined and improved. Gibbs provides new critiques of intuitionist and emotivist challenges to nonrelativist moral developmental paradigms [and] incorporates a new digest of the extensive cross-cultural research on universal trends in social-moral judgment. Gibbs sustains his reader-friendly, engaging writing style." #xA0; - John Snarey, Emory University Professor of Human Development and Ethics, Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and co-author of Race-ing Moral Formation: African American Perspectives on Care and Justice. #xA0; #xA0; "Takes the bold step of synthesizing not only theory and practice, but also his informed speculation on the possibility of morality#x19;s underlying reality. The book is particularly strong in providing a clear and updated summary of two of the most influential moral theories-Lawrence Kohlberg#x19;s stage theory of moral development and Martin Hoffman#x19;s theory of empathy. Gibbs has made a major contribution to the field with his analysis of the way the two theories complement each other to provide a richer understanding of moral motivation and action. The theoretical chapters provide a strong foundation for later chapters on understanding and treating antisocial behavior.

The blend of theory and practice makes this an important book not only for scholars of moral development, but also for helping professionals such as teachers, counselors, and therapists. Education in the twenty-first century will increasingly stress the sort of lively, interdisciplinary perspective-a fascinating blend of psychology, philosophy, and even physics-that John Gibbs brings to this well crafted work." #xA0; - Elizabeth C. Vozzola, Saint Joseph College #xA0; "Moral Development and Reality is such an amazing book!" #xA0; - Laura E. Berk, Illinois State University #xA0; "Quite alive intellectually, a real page-turner." #xA0; - Daniel K. Lapsley, University of Notre Dame #xA0; #x1C;Very rich, stimulating, and first-rate.#x1D; #xA0; - Daan Brugman, University of Utrecht #xA0; #x1C;A truly remarkable synthesis.

#x1D; #xA0; - Charles Helwig, University of Toronto #xA0; "There is no one with a better understanding of how to help young people behave in a moral manner than John Gibbs. This book offers a far-reaching analysis of basic process in moral development, and it should be read by anyone who is interested in theory and practice of promoting positive behavior in even the most troubled young." - William Damon, Stanford University.