Ethics and Identity provides a strong but flexible framework for exploring moral identity and developing ethical decision-making skills. Written with the older adolescent reader in mind, Ethics and Identity is designed to help young people successfully navigate the increasing complexity of their lives. Too old to be called “good kids” but not yet equipped for the burdens of moral adulthood, adolescents need more sophisticated tools for working through difficult decisions than the simple slogans of childhood. This book was written in response to that need.
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I am grateful beyond measure for the positive reviews of Ethics and Identity from two respected leaders in the field.
How does the enterprise of developing good character and knowing what’s right become more complex and personal during adolescence? What does it mean to have a “moral identity,” and how do you go about developing one? What makes a person “good”? What makes a judgment “moral? What are the powerful, “in-the-basement” psychological forces that operate below the level of awareness to influence our moral decisions and behavior? How have wise thinkers through the ages tried to answer questions like these? Why do we need a spirit of humility as we pursue our quest for wisdom and character in a diverse society where others will come to different conclusions about what is true and good?
This is just a small sample of the questions that Tim Leet explores—lucidly, humbly, insightfully, sometimes provocatively, but always with nuance and balance—in his new book, Ethics and Identity. This is a fresh and rich resource, enhanced throughout by beautiful color graphics, that deftly integrates two important fields: moral education (focused on ways of knowing what is right) and character education (focused on the process of becoming a person who knows, desires, and does what is right). With his first book, Tim Leet has given us an important new tool for helping our students think more deeply about what matters most and commit more fully to a life of striving for character.
Thomas Lickona, Ph.D.
Director, Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect and Responsibility), State University of New York at Cortland; author, How to Raise Kind Kids and Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility.
Ethics and Identity is a very student-centered, beautifully illustrated toolbox for the construction of moral identity. Author Tim Leet lovingly guides his high-school readers through concepts of moral philosophy and personal growth, ultimately encouraging each to use personal skills and strengths in the self-creation of the kind of “good person” that their communities — and their own personal well-being — will so need.
David Streight
Former Executive Director, Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education and author of Breaking Into the Heart of Character and Structure and Guts of Character Education.
Supporting Moral Growth During Adolescence 