moral development (chap 5)

moral development

Moral development includes

• Higher cognitive levels

• Participation in different social worlds

  • Leads to more complex moral reasoning.

Adolescents are more capable of

• Considering the perspective of others to solve social problems.

• Dealing with interpersonal relationships.

• Seeing themselves as social beings.

Encouragement of moral development

Cognitive and emotional advancement that enables autonomous decision-making and actions that reflect greater concern for others and the common good through moral values such as equality, solidarity, loyalty, etc.

Moral development and Kohlberg's theory

Levels of Moral Reasoning

• Level I. Preconventional morality → People act under external controls: punishment/reward or fulfilling their own needs.

• Level II. Conventional morality → People have internalized the standards of authority figures. Maintaining an agreed system of rules is necessary for coexistence (ensuring human relationships and social order). Being good individuals, pleasing others, and maintaining social order.

• Level III. Postconventional morality (or morality of autonomous moral principles) → People recognize conflicts between moral standards and make their own judgments based on principles of goodness, equality, and justice.

Level I. Preconventional morality

People act under external controls: punishment/reward or fulfilling their own needs.

Level I. Preconventional morality (up to 9 years old)

• Stage 1: Punishment and obedience orientation: "What is going to happen to me?"

  • They obey rules to avoid punishment.

  • They ignore the motives behind an act and focus on its physical form (such as the size of a lie) or its consequences, such as the amount of physical harm.

• Stage 2: Instrumental purpose and exchange: "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

  • They evaluate an action based on the human needs it fulfills.

Level II. Conventional morality

• People have internalized the standards of authority figures.

• Maintaining an agreed system of rules is necessary for coexistence (ensuring human relationships and social order).

• Being good individuals, pleasing others, and maintaining social order.

Level II. Conventional morality

(or morality of conformity to conventional roles)

(from ages 10-13 and beyond)

• Stage 3: Maintaining mutual relationships, seeking approval from others: "Am I a good boy/girl?"

  • Seeking to please and help others.

• Stage 4: Social interest and conscience (respecting social norms): "What would happen if everyone did it?"

  • Fulfilling obligations, showing respect for authority, and maintaining social order.

  • An action is always wrong, regardless of motives or circumstances, if it violates a rule or harms others.

Level III. Postconventional morality

• Also known as morality of autonomous moral principles.

• People recognize conflicts between moral standards and make their own judgments based on principles of goodness, equality, and justice.

Level III. Postconventional morality

(beginning in early adolescence, often in early adulthood, or sometimes never)

Stage 5: Morality of contract, individual rights, and democratically accepted law: "What does society want, and what is best for it?"

• People think in rational terms and value the will of the majority and the well-being of society.

• They are oriented toward the social contract and consensual rules.

• They recognize that human needs and the law may sometimes contradict each other, but in the long run, obeying democratically accepted laws is best for society.

Level III. Postconventional morality

(beginning in early adolescence, often in early adulthood, or sometimes never)

Stage 6. Morality of universal ethical principles >

• It requires recognizing the relativity of moral norms.

• People do what they personally believe is right, regardless of legal restrictions or others' opinions.

• They act according to internalized standards, knowing that if they fail to do so, they will condemn themselves.

Kolhberg emphasises Progression through levels of moral reasoning

• Some adolescents (and even some adults) → Level I.

• The majority of adolescents and adults → Level II, mostly Stage 3.

• Stage 4 of level II increases from early adolescence to adulthood but is less common.

• Level III does not appear before early adolescence and typically develops in early adulthood, if it is reached at all.

Criticisms of Kohlberg's Theory

• Few people reach Stage 6.

• More recent studies have observed that some children can reason flexibly about laws and transgressions as early as age 6.

• Limited attention to possible gender differences.

• Moral reasoning is not just a reflection of cognitive development →

  • it is necessary but not sufficient.

  • Limited consideration of the influence of parents, peers, and emotions (such as empathy and guilt)