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moral relativism

the belief that the morality or immorality of an action is determined by social custom rather than by universal or fixed standards of right and wrong. According to Jean Piaget, moral relativism is characteristic of children in the autonomous stage of moral development, who consider the intention behind an act along with possible extenuating circumstances when judging its rightness or wrongness. Compare moral absolutism; moral realism; situation ethics.

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Psychology term of the day

January 30th 2025

realistic group conflict theory

realistic group conflict theory

a conceptual framework predicated on the assumption that intergroup tensions will occur whenever social groups must compete for scarce resources (e.g., food, territory, jobs, wealth, power, natural resources) and that this competition fuels prejudice and other antagonistic attitudes that lead to conflicts such as rivalries and warfare. Also called realistic conflict theory.