Psychological Foundations of Principled Behaviour: Insights from a Path Analytic Model
SAGE Open, cilt.16, sa.2, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1177/21582440261458531
- Dergi Adı: SAGE Open
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Directory of Open Access Journals, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: general self-efficacy, integrity, meaning in life, moral development, principled behaviour tendency, psychological resilience
- Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study explores the psychological foundations of principled behaviour (actions aligned with moral principles and values), focusing on psychological resilience, general self-efficacy, and meaning in life. A path analytic model was tested using cross-sectional data collected from 410 university students (63.4% men, 36.6% women; M = 20.7 years, SD = 2.71) enrolled at a public university in Turkey. Data were gathered through self-report questionnaires administered during class sessions after obtaining institutional ethics approval and participants’ informed consent. SEM-based path analyses suggest that psychological resilience positively predicted general self-efficacy (β = .49, p < .001) and meaning in life (β = .18, p < .001), both of which were significant predictors of principled behaviour (β = .30 and β = .36, p < .001). Although resilience did not directly predict principled behaviour, indirect links via self-efficacy (β = .15, p < .001) and meaning in life (β = .07, p < .001) provided strong mediational evidence. The structural equation model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data (χ2/df = 2.94, CFI = 0.962, TLI = 0.951, RMSEA = 0.068, SRMR = 0.047). While the cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation, the study offers a theory-informed framework that may guide future longitudinal research. These findings contribute to understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying moral functioning and provide implications for values education, character development, and ethical decision-making among young adults.