Abstract

The focus of this qualitative study was to investigate research on one dimension of both religion and family life, that of morality. To accomplish this, a content analysis of current academic literature was conducted. Articles relative to morality, in three major journals in each of five social science fields , were selected for study over a 16-year period . ;A review of the literature was conducted to gain a historical perspective on the longitudinal development of moral thought. Transitions in the concepts of morality through the Classical, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary periods are presented. ;In total, 301 articles of the 900 journal issues published between 1980 to 1995 were identified as relevant to the topic and were selected for content review. An instrument was developed to assess the articles to be examined. Frequency counts were used to collect the data. Each article was examined for its bibliographic data . Second, the article's methodology was observed . Third, the article's nomenclature and themes were identified. Fourth, the article's theoretical approach was examined for its theoretical framework, theoretical perspective, ontological framework, and ontological orientation. Last, any suggestions for future research listed in the articles were noted. Details relevant to the bibliographic data, instruments and questionnaires, nomenclature, themes, and suggestions for future research observed in the articles examined are listed in the results. ;The findings indicate that sample characteristics such as gender and subject were underutilized categories. It was found that over half of the articles were qualitative in nature; the predominant research context was metaethical dialogue; the predominant theoretical framework was metatheoretical; the salient theoretical perspective was Dialectical-Materialistic; and the predominant ontological framework was psychological. The ontological discussions that appeared most often in the articles studied were objectivism, teleology and deontology, rationalism, and naturalism. A contemporary epistemology was obtained and is provided by describing each field's current approach to the topic of morality