Knowing right from wrong is not enough: Trauma linked to fragmented adolescent conscience

What does it mean when a young person seems to know the difference between right and wrong but still repeatedly crosses the line? For professionals working with adolescents who display problematic or transgressive behavior, such contradictions can be difficult to understand and assess. New research from the University of Amsterdam suggests that one reason may be that conscience is not a single, fixed characteristic. Instead, it is a dynamic system in which several psychological abilities need to work together. Psychologist Julia Tiemersma will defend her dissertation on the topic Sept. 11 at the UvA.