moral development + aggression

types of pro-social behaviour

altruism

empathy

morality

altruism

concern for others

willingness to act on concern for others

empathy

ability to feel others’ emotions

morality

knowing right from wrong

key moral principles (3)

avoiding aggression

prosocial concern

personal commitment to abide by rules

dimensions/components of moral development

affective component

cognitive component

behavioural component

affective compenent

dimension of moral development

involving emotions

psychoanalytic theorists - Freud, etc.

cognitive component

dimension of moral development

involves reasoning

logical and rational thought

dominant way of thinking

cognitive-developmental theorists - Piaget, Kohlberg, etc.

behavioural component

dimension of moral development

involves action

social learning and social information-processing theorists

Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development

the way children develop logical and rational thinking

stages of moral development

understanding of respect for rules and concept of justice

3 - 11 years old

stages of piaget’s theory of moral development

premoral period

stage 1 - heteronomous morality

stage 2 - autonomous morality

preomoral period

stage of Piaget’s theory of moral development

pre-school age

little/no awareness of rules

make up their own rules

stage 1 - heteronomous morality

5-10 years old

beginning to understand rules and laws

judge others action by consequences not by intent

very black and white view of rules

stage 2 - autonomous morality

10-11 years old

acknowledge that rules can sometimes be broken or changes

morality is fully developed

intent is very important

criticism of Piaget’s theory of moral development

underestimates children’s understanding of intention

research shows that younger children (~3-7 years old) can interpret intention of others

morally-relevant theory of mind test (MoToM)

Killan et al., 2011

study showed that younger children could interpret intention

contrasts Piaget’s theory of moral development stages and proposed ages

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

expands on Piaget’s theory - past childhood, includes teenage years

complex moral dilemmas - e.g. Heinz’s dilemma

stages and levels - 3 levels with 2 stages each

levels/stages are unrelated to age

levels/stages of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

level 1 - pre-concentional

• punishment + obedience

• self-interest

level 2 - conventional

• comply with social expectations

• uphold social order

level 3 - post-conventional

• social-contract

• individual principle of conscience

level 1

pre-conventional

level of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

stage 1: punishment and obedience

• ‘it’s okay if you don’t get caught’

stage 2: self-interest

• egocentric, simple, self-centered

• ‘if it feels good/right to you, do it’

level 2

concentional

level of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

stage 3: comply with social expectations

• moral behaviour is approved by others / helps others

stage 4: uphold social order

• need to fulfill your own social duty

• social rules and laws are worthwhile to uphold

level 3

post-conventional

level of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

stage 5: social-contract

• deep thinking about pros and cons of situations

• clear distinction between legality and morality

stage 6: individual principle of conscience

• theoretical construct - never actually reach this stage

• have one’s own ethics, universal justice, dignity

criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

age bias - does not include younger children, focuses more on older children; involves legal issues heavily

cultural bias - Western ideals; post-conventional morality is not seen in all societies / cultures

gender bias - developed from males only; different gender expectations can influence moral orientations

**boys = morality of justice; girls = morality of care

aggression definition

any behaviour with intention to harm a living being

*intention is key, excludes accidental harm

types of aggression

hostile aggression

• overt

• relational

instrumental aggression

reactive aggression

proactive aggression

hostile aggression

goal is to harm

immediate or direct goal

2 subtypes

overt aggression and relational aggression

overt aggression

subtype of hostile aggression

direct

physical

can easily ‘see’ it

males more likely to be physically aggressive

relational aggression

subtype of hostile aggression

indirect

psycho-social

harder to identify / prevent

females are more likely to be relationally aggressive

instrumental aggression

a ‘means to an end’

reactive aggression

driven by emotions

no planning - in response to something / someone

impulsive, hostile, retaliation

high arousal

proactove aggression

goal driven

planned, thought out and delayed behaviour

results in tangible benefits

rewarding to the person in some way

egocentric bias

one places their own concerns above all else

more pronounced with aggression

older children should shift to be more other-centered

cognitive distortions

self-serving

justification for aggressive behaviours

blame others for actions

create own interpretations of situations of minimise guilt and regret

hostile attribution bias

assume the worst of others’ intentions

preconception that others have negative/malicious intentions

moral disengagement

convincing themselves that moral / ethical standards do not apply to them in specific situations / certain times

cognitive reframing

reframing aggression as morally acceptable in certain situations

3 techniques

• disengagement - separate authority controls

• diffusion - believe others to be equally as responsible in group scenarios

• dehumanisation - views victim as object more than as a person with thoughts and feelings

cultural constructs involving agression / moral development

different rules, laws, morals are present across different cultures and countries

morals are learned from those around them i.e. family, friends, community

early concepts can be universal (Kohlberg) but can also be more culturally specific - ‘moral identity’

influenced on micro (family, immediate community) and macro (country, larger community) levels