How Teens Think about Drugs: Insights from Moral Reasoning and Social Bonding Theory

This article reports the results of a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews focusing on the relationship between moral reasoning and the decision to initiate adolescent substance use. Ninety-five eighth-grade students, roughly equally divided among non-users, experimental users and experienced users, were interviewed following an open-ended, semi-structured protocol on issues pertaining to the psychological and sociological domains of moral reasoning. Drawing on cognitive-developmental psychology and social bonding theory, the analysis reveals three contrasting patterns of thinking in students' decisions about whether or not to try drugs. In ascending levels of importance, these three patterns are: 1) perceptions of harm; 2) perceptions of personal choice; and, 3) perceived degree of institutional embeddedness. The implications of these findings for current policies and prevention programs are discussed.