title: Extraordinary moral commitment: young adults involved in social organizations.
abstract: The personality of exemplary young adults was studied in an effort to paint a portrait of moral excellence that expanded upon the traditional emphasis on moral reasoning maturity. These young adults were nominated based on their extraordinary moral commitment towards various social organizations. The sample included 40 moral exemplars and 40 matched comparison individuals who responded to a battery of questionnaires and participated in a semistructured interview. It was found that moral exemplars, in contrast to comparison individuals, were more agreeable, more advanced in their faith and moral reasoning development, further along in forming an adult identity, and more willing to enter into close relationships. These findings are discussed in the context of describing moral excellence from a multifaceted, personality perspective.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9. matsubak@unbc.ca
authors.forename: M Kyle
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Matsuba
authors.forename: Lawrence J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035863:Moral Development; D009014:Morals; D009042:Motivation; D010551:Personality; D010553:Personality Development; D012067:Religion; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012951:Socialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires