Wacana, Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora
Vol. 29 No. 4 (2026): WACANA, Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora

Reflective agency and moral education: rethinking desire, reason, and disappointment

Qudsiye, Sophia Kinza (Unknown)
Aaron, Edward (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
19 Oct 2026

Abstract

Objective: This study develops an interdisciplinary framework of reflective agency by examining how desire, reason, expectation, and disappointment relate to self-regulation and moral education. Design/Methods/Approach: The study employed an interpretive integrative literature review drawing on an analytic corpus of 27 core philosophical and psychological sources purposively selected for their direct relevance to the research questions. The sources were thematically coded and compared to identify recurring patterns, conceptual differences, and areas of functional complementarity across disciplines. Findings: Four themes emerged. Desire provides the motivational force that initiates action; reason evaluates and regulates action; disappointment arises when actual outcomes fail to match affectively invested expectations; and reflective self-regulation develops through maturation, education, socialization, and social support. The synthesis also indicates that Humean and Platonic perspectives can be understood as functionally complementary rather than strictly opposed. Originality/Value: The study reframes the relation between desire and reason as a socially mediated problem of reflective agency. It proposes an interdisciplinary framework linking motivation, expectation, disappointment, and self-regulation across philosophy and psychology. Practical/Policy implication: Moral education and socialization should cultivate emotional awareness, realistic expectation management, reflective judgment, and constructive responses to frustration. These capacities may strengthen character development and educational practices that help individuals interpret disappointment as an opportunity for adjustment and learning.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

wacana

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Economics, Econometrics & Finance Environmental Science Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

This journal has a focus on inter and multidisciplinary studies of social sciences and humanities. The scope is the socio-cultural phenomenon, the history, and transformation of society, changes, and stagnation of socio-political institutions, actor orientation, and behavior, the performance of ...