Unit 6: Developmental Psychology - Moral Development Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on Unit 6 Lesson 4 regarding Lawrence Kohlberg's Six Stages of Moral Development and Carol Gilligan’s Ethic of Care.

Lawrence Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development

A theory that moral development is built over six stages, suggesting a fixed sequence where individuals cannot jump over one stage to reach another.

Heinz Dilemma

A scenario used by Kohlberg involving a man who cannot afford a life-saving drug for his wife and must decide whether to steal it from a pharmacist who refuses a discount.

Kohlberg’s Preconventional Level

The level of morality, typically seen until around 9 years old, where one does not necessarily have a moral code and morality is simply based around consequences.

Stage 1: Avoiding Punishment

A stage characterized by blind egoism where the individual acts based on the logic: 'I do what I do so nothing bad happens to me' and 'do it if you won’t get caught'.

Stage 2: Aiming at a Reward

A stage characterized by instrumental egoism where an individual weighs if following or breaking a norm will help them get what they want; 'I do what I do to get what I want'.

Kohlberg’s Conventional Level

The level of morality, typically until 10-13ish, where individuals have a basic sense of morality copied from others, often valued adults.

Stage 3: Good Boy & Good Girl Attitude

A stage where morality is based on social relationships and the desire to be perceived as 'good' rather than 'bad' by others.

Stage 4: Loyalty to Law and Order

A stage where morality is based on social systems, following the 'law' of a nation, family, or religion without questioning because it is taught as the right thing.

Kohlberg’s Postconventional Level

The level of morality, typically appearing in teenagehood and beyond, involving a deep internalized sense of morality built around complex considerations of human rights.

Stage 5: Justice and the Spirit of the Law

A stage where morality is based on using systems to create the best outcomes possible, which sometimes involves breaking rules to achieve those outcomes.

Stage 6: Universal Principles of Ethics

A stage where morality is based on universal kindness and wellbeing, recognizing moral blind spots unseen by 99% of people to nourish humanity across generations.

Carol Gilligan’s Critique

An argument that Kohlberg's stages were culturally limited to individualistic cultures and biased because his studies only included interviews of men.

Gilligan’s Stages of the Ethic of Care

A theory of moral development made as an addition to Kohlberg’s that focuses on community care and collectivist morality.

Gilligan’s Preconventional Stage (Individual Survival)

The stage at which an individual considers their own needs more important than the community’s needs.

Gilligan’s Conventional Stage (Self-Sacrifice is Goodness)

The stage at which an individual considers the community’s needs more important than their own needs.

Gilligan’s Postconventional Stage (Principle of Nonviolence)

The stage at which one believes that communities must be set up such that everyone has their needs met, including their own.