New forms of morality in Chilean youth: An exploratory study on emerging value configurations in young students in Santiago.

Abstract

The unruled social lifestyle in this contemporary time we are living in, has left our youth with a problem of sense crisis. The withdrawal of traditional institutions that provided meaning implies a progressive individualisation of life projects, which are made manifest as a feeling of permanent search. Today’s youth live in a situation of «moral inclemency», where nobody is able to guarantee that their behavior is correct in a clear and unique sense. On the contrary, a possible solution corresponds to the emergency of a value configuration around the notion of self discipline.This involves the formation of a cautious reflection, which allows for the protection of their own subjectivity in a world where the rules are relativized, avoiding unwished consequences and to avoid, provisionally, toward the demand for direction. In order to analyze this phenomenon suitably, we resort to a qualitative methodologic strategy beginning with the technique of group discussion.