Moral Development

Care

Cherishing & protecting others

Fairness

Rendering justice according to shared rules

Loyalty

Standing with your group

Authority

Submitting to tradition & legitimate authority

Sanctity/Purity

Abhorrence for disgusting things

Heteronomous Morality

Stage for children under 7; rigid acceptance of authority's rules; rules seen as unchangeable

Transition Period

Peer interactions drive development of perspective-taking & beliefs about fairness

Autonomous Morality

Stage at ~11-12 years; considers fairness & equality; rules seen as social agreements; blind obedience no longer basis of moral judgement

Piaget Contributions

Identified systematic changes in moral reasoning; highlighted role of cognitive development

Piaget Critiques

Underestimated intentionality in morality; children disbelieve some adult-condoned actions are always right; theory broadly rejected

Heinz Dilemma

Moral scenario used by Kohlberg to assess reasoning; asks whether stealing a drug to save a dying wife is justified

Pre-Conventional Level

Morality externally focused; judgments based on consequences; self-centered

Stage 1 - Punishment & Obedience Orientation

"Right" = obeying rules & avoiding punishment; egocentric perspective

Stage 2 - Naïve Hedonism

"Right" = actions that bring rewards or fair exchanges; motivated by self-interest

Conventional Level

Morality internalized but unquestioned; based on social roles & relationships

Stage 3 - Good Girl/Good Boy Orientation

"Right" = being "good/nice"; living up to others' expectations; motivated by social approval

Stage 4 - Social-Order-Maintaining Morality

"Right" = upholding laws & fulfilling social duties; motivated by maintaining societal institutions

Post-Conventional Level

Morality internalized & self-chosen; based on values & ideals

Stage 5 - Social Contract Orientation

"Right" = upholding social contract while protecting nonrelative values (life

Stage 6 - Individual Principles of Conscience

"Right" = upholding personal moral principles even if they conflict with laws

Pre-Conventional Reasoning Timeline

Dominant through elementary school years; declines with age

Conventional Reasoning Timeline

Increases during early to middle adolescence

Post-Conventional Reasoning Timeline

Relatively rare even among adults

Kohlberg Contributions

Documented systematic changes in moral reasoning; linked moral reasoning to moral behaviour; highlighted cognitive processes

Kohlberg Critiques

Insufficient distinction between moral issues & social conventions; reasoning not continuous; dilemmas not culturally valid; gender differences ignored; based on studies of boys only

By Age 3

Children distinguish violations of moral rules vs. social conventions

By Age 4

Children recognize moral transgressions as wrong

Ages 4-9

Children understand moral transgressions as morally (not just socially) wrong

Conscience

Internal moral sense that guides behavior and produces guilt when violated

By Age 2

Children recognize moral standards and exhibit guilt

Temperament

Individual differences in temperament influence conscience development

Parental Influence

Children tend to internalize and adopt parents' moral values over time

Prosocial Behaviour

Voluntary behaviour intended to benefit others

Prosocial Behaviour Roots

Influenced by evolution

Discipline (Socialization)

Constructive

Parenting Style (Socialization)

Warmth and authoritative parenting linked to prosocial outcomes

Modelling & Teaching

Children imitate prosocial behaviour; child-parent similarities observed

Provision of Opportunities

Exposure to prosocial opportunities at home and in community fosters development

By 14 Months

Distress at others' distress; cooperation driven by sympathy & fairness

By 18-25 Months

Sharing behavior emerges

Ages 2-4 Years

Other prosocial behaviors increase

Middle Childhood & Adolescence

Prosocial behaviour shaped by moral reasoning & perspective-taking

Aggression

Any behaviour aimed at harming or injuring others

Instrumental Aggression

Aggression motivated by desire to obtain a specific goal

Relational Aggression

Intending to harm others by damaging their relationships

Before 12 Months

Aggression typically over objects; no contact/hitting

By 18 Months

Goal-directed physical aggression is expected

Elementary School

Overt physical aggression low/declines; more hostility; verbal aggression increases

Middle Adolescence

Increases in serious violent acts

Antisocial Behaviour Influences

Biological factors

Social Cognition Model of Aggression

Process: Encoding → Interpretation → Response Search → Response Decision → Enactment

Hostile Attribution Bias

Aggressive children infer hostile intent from ambiguous situations leading to aggressive retaliation and peer rejection cycle