Moral education is the formation of concepts, judgments, feelings and beliefs, skills and habits of behavior that correspond to the norms of society. Previously, they used to say more simply: «education of morals», hence the name.
From the point of view of practical psychology, behind the words «education of morality» is the practice of social learning, which is carried out by quite traditional methods: through teaching and accustoming, developing moral habits, by demonstrating attractive examples and through organizing the environment of the moral environment, where moral norms with the help of a mechanism social infection becomes the property of all members of a particular community.
Traditionally, there are differences in the male and female approach to the education of morality: the female approach focuses on care, mercy, compassion, pity and other values of the humanistic approach (V.A. Sukhomlinsky’s approach), while the male approach prefers the approach of moral duty: exactingness , order and responsibility (A.S. Makarenko’s approach).
The specific content of moral education largely depends on a particular country, a particular society, a particular school, and even a particular family, where the education of this very morality takes place. In a religious society, moral education will primarily take care of observance of religious precepts, respect for religious texts and religious hierarchs; in a secular society, respect for the law, the police and, in general, for adults who support accepted norms and orders in society.
One can argue whether people are born initially good or not (most likely, people are born different), history shows that if morals are not specially educated, people only deteriorate. Living a moral life like decent people is a bit of a strain, but ordinary people always want to live easier and simpler. And when they are left behind, they make their lives easier. Morals are declining.
Men stop shaving, women stop combing their hair, everyone starts cursing and believing that someone else is to blame for all the troubles…
Who is involved in maintaining or educating morality? Those who are interested or profitable. The history of mankind remembers many people who set a fairly high bar for moral life: these are the founders of world religions (Christ, Mohammed, Buddha), and many worthy people who did it simply because they considered it their personal duty. We will name only those who are better known to our readers: Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, in Russia — Seraphim of Sarov, Leo Tolstoy … To one degree or another, if not about education, then at least maintaining morality always taken care of by the state and the church. The state is purely economically interested in the better observance of laws and the reduction of criminality; in addition, the education of patriotism, traditionally a part of moral education, strengthens the power of the state and contributes to the success of its foreign policy. The church is obliged to deal with issues of morality in accordance with its charter, although to a greater extent it does not care about morality in general, but specifically about the churching of parishioners.
The religious life of Israel clearly shows that there is no mutual understanding between the religious fanatics of Judaism and the supporters of a respectable, moral life. If you think that men and women can be together in a public place, or if you decide to work on Saturday, even for the benefit of people, you may be in big trouble. You will be stoned because religion and morality are not the same.
In modern Russia, almost the only serious force of secular moral education is, oddly enough, business. In a situation where neither the family nor the school is involved in moral education, business has to take it upon itself: from incomprehensible boys and girls who come to work to bring up responsible and decent people who can be entrusted with projects and who can interact in a civilized way with other civilized people: they can negotiating and fulfilling agreements, are able to prevent conflicts with difficult people and meet clients with sincere goodwill.