DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL SELF-AWARENESS AND ITS IMPACT ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH DECISIONS

Abstract

Abstract: Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by profound changes in identity, self-evaluation, emotional regulation, interpersonal relationships, and value orientation. During this period, young people increasingly encounter decisions that require not only factual knowledge but also personal responsibility, self-reflection, ethical judgment, resistance to social pressure, and consideration of long-term consequences. Reproductive health decisions represent one domain in which these psychological capacities become particularly significant. The purpose of this article is to analyze the development of moral self-awareness in adolescence and to propose a conceptual framework explaining its potential role in reproductive health decision-making. The study employs a theoretical and narrative-review approach integrating developmental psychology, moral psychology, moral identity theory, social-cognitive perspectives, and contemporary recommendations concerning adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Particular attention is paid to Mamanazarov’s previous conceptualization of moral self-awareness as a multidimensional psychological construct involving cognitive, emotional, reflective, communicative, and behavioral components. The analysis suggests that developed moral self-awareness may contribute to reproductive health decisions through five interconnected mechanisms: value clarification, reflective evaluation of consequences, moral responsibility, resistance to coercive or peer pressure, and consistency between personal values and behavior. At the same time, moral self-awareness should not be interpreted as a substitute for scientifically accurate reproductive health knowledge, access to health services, or autonomy. The paper concludes that educational and psychological interventions may be strengthened by combining evidence-based reproductive health education with reflection, responsibility, empathy, communication skills, and autonomous decision-making. Future empirical studies are required to test the proposed relationships among moral self-awareness, reproductive health knowledge, perceived social norms, self-efficacy, and actual health-related behavior.