| This study investigated how children and adolescents make sense of transgressive experiences in which they assume versus mitigate blame for causing harm. Specifically, the present study focused on how children of various ages constructed different aspects of their moral agency (i.e., one sense-making process) with assumption and mitigation. Participants (N = 120; 5-, 9-, and 16-year-olds) provided accounts of their own transgressive experiences in which they assumed blame and mitigated blame for hurting a peer. Narratives were coded for two features theorized to be implicated in the construction of moral agency: various types of reasons and explanations used to explain harmful behavior, and feelings of guilt. With assumption of fault, 5-year-olds constructed accounts without making reference to any reasons or explanations; with mitigation of fault, they described situations in which their peers hurt themselves or were hurt by others. By contrast, 9- and 16-year-olds referenced not self-monitoring with assumption of fault; they discussed how their peers misconstrued their intentions with mitigation of fault. In all, findings suggest that children and adolescents are learning about different aspects of their moral agency in experiences in which they assume and mitigate blame. |
