Our first offering for our second decade of psychoeducation is entitled The Conscience Celebration. This is a serialized book with a new episode appearing approximately every two months.

Neither morally didactic (i.e. it is not a book of virtues); nor a "How To" book about moral reasoning with Kohlbergian dilemmas; nor a workbook on values clarification. This book is intended to be informative to children about what they and their peers are experiencing, in common and diverse experiences, as their consciences develop. It is a secular, psychoeducational book about conscience development and functioning. As such, it provides tools to discuss moral development the way educational videos assist teacher, parent and child with discussion of sexual development and sexuality. The Conscience Celebration is also a rendering, in a family book format, of research findings and interpretations drawn from The Conscience Study that began over 15 years ago in the early 1980’s. The ongoing Indiana University Conscience Project is dedicated to research and education of conscience formation and functioning across the lifespan. The Conscience Study (see references below) examined the awareness children and adolescents, between the ages of 5 to 17 years. The study, which drew subjects from religious and community schools, was organized around the Stilwell Conscience Interview. In the course of our research, we acquired many drawings from children asked to " use your imagination and draw a picture of your conscience." Some of these drawings are reproduced in The Conscience Celebration. In addition, the reader will find embedded in the story the same questions that were asked of our research subjects. We hope the insights drawn from actual interviews with 132 volunteers make our story informative. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the characters in the Conscience Celebration are entirely fictitious. Finally, we cannot ignore the near certainty that any recognizably "good for you" book will be shunned by kids, unless it is required reading. In this case, grown-ups make the requirements in different settings including families, schools, clinics and religious schools where a secular and scientific view of moral development is seen as an important basis for discussion.

The Authors.

 REFERENCES

*Stilwell, B.M. and Galvin, M.R.: "Conceptualization of Conscience in 11-12 year olds." J. Am. Acad. Child and Psych 1985:24(5): 630-636.

*Stilwell, B.M., Galvin, M.R., and Kopta, M.: "Conceptualization of Conscience in Normal Children and Adolescents Ages 5 to 17, " J. Am. Acad. Child and Adol. Psych 1991:30(1):16-21.

*Stilwell, B.M., Galvin, M.R., Kopta, M., and Norton, J.A.:"Moral-emotional Responsiveness: A Two-Factor Domain of Conscience Functioning" J.Am.Acad.Child and Adol.Psych.1994:33, l:130-139.

*Stilwell, B.M., Galvin, M.R., Kopta, M., and Padgett,R.J."Moral Valuation: A Third Domain of Conscience Functioning." J. Am.Acad.Child and Adol. Psych.1996: 35(2):230-239.

*Stilwell,B.M., Galvin, M.R., Kopta, M., and Padgett, R.J. and Holt, J.W. "Moralization of Attachment: A Fourth Domain of Conscience Functioning."J. Am.Acad. Child and Adol. Psych. 1997: 36(8): 1140-1147.

*Stilwell, B.M., Galvin, M.R., Kopta, M. and Padgett, R.J. Moral Volition: The Fifth and Final Domain Leading to an Integrated Theory of Conscience Understanding. 1998: 37 (2): 202-210.

We hope that in our final version, we have done at least some justice to the emendatory and reparative work indicated by the able first readers whose names appear below. If we have failed here or there in this task, it is not because our first readers lacked insight into the ideal potential of this work. They shared in the aspiration of what we set out to accomplish, gave our work their careful consideration, was concerned to guide it practically, ethically and aesthetically. Undoubtedly, they were sometimes too generous in ascribing conscious intent to authors who only fortuitously struck a responsive chord more deeply within their wonderment. Nor were they lacking in clarity as they described our work’s actual faults. However, we may not have fully appreciated or decisively remedied the flaws these first readers identified. We hope that the current reader, discerning a persistent fault, will give their predecessors the benefit of the doubt: they were not remiss in their critical, peer-review duties. We also hope that the current reader, while holding us entirely accountable, will accept on faith that we made efforts to respond to the excellent suggestions we received. We did not succumb to what the Ancient Greeks called akrasia and knowingly, deliberately allow mistakes to stand.

First Readers (in alphabetical order):

Jill Abram, M.D., Fellow in Child Psychiatry, IU

Ms. Barbara Brown, Special Education, Larue Carter Hospital

Ms. Susan Cakars, Editor Magination Press, An Imprint of Brunner/Mazel

Rosemary Collins, ACSW, Child & Family Therapist, NW Counseling Office, St Vincent’s Stress Center

Phil Coons, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, I.U.

Wm. DeMyer, M.D., Professor of Pediatric Neurology, I.U.

Margaret Gaffney, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Medical Ethics Program, I.U.

Deborah Chernin Galvin, M.S., Wife, mother, performing artist, Physical Therapist

Ann Giauque, ACSW, Child & Family Therapist, Riley Child Psychiatry Clinic

Bill Jackson, PhD., Associate Professor of Religious Studies, I.U.P.U.I.

Diane Lanman, ACSW, Child & Family Therapist, Riley Child Psychiatry Clinic

Linn LaClave, PhD., Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology I.U., Chief Psychologist Riley Child Psychiatry Clinic

Ms. Jeannie Melchert, Special Education-Indianapolis Public Schools, Methodist Hospital

Chris McDougle, M.D., Houk Professor and Director Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, I.U.

Ted Petti, M.D. M.P.H., Arthur B. Richter Professor of Child Psychiatry, I.U.

Ms. Jan Raetz, Chief, Clerical Division, Riley Child Psychiatry Clinic

Jim Rizzo, ACSW, Chief of Social Work, Riley Psychiatry Clinic

Ingrid Sato, M.S., Psychotherapist, Private Practice, Indianapolis, In

Charles Shelton S.J., PhD., Associate Professor of Psychology, Regis University, Author, Morality of the Heart

Deborah Vahary, R.N., Methodist Behavioral Care Center

Mr. Michael Vogel, Honorary Doctor of Public Service, Indianapolis businessman and moral educator

Kelda Walsh, M.D., Assistant Professor of Child Psychiatry, I.U.

Marcia Plant Jackson, R.N., M.P.H.

Marylou Zirkelbach, R.N.