Moral reasoning + Cognitive distortions

Who was the first researcher to apply the concept of moral reasoning to offending behaviour?

Kohlberg (1968) (proposed that people’s decisions and judgements on issues of right and wrong can be summarised in a stage theory of moral reasoning)

What did Kohlberg et al (1973) find?

That a group of violent youth were at a significantly lower level of moral developmet than non-violent youths - even after controlling for social background (investigated using his moral dilemmas)

What is moral reasoning?

The way a person thinks about right and wrong. (Higher levels of moral reasoning are more driven by what is right, and less driven by just avoiding punishment/disapproval)

How are the levels of moral reasoning linked with criminality?

Offenders are more likely to be classified at the pre-conventional level, whereas non-offeners are usually in the conventional level and beyond.

What are the levels and stages of moral reasoning?

• Level 1: Pre-conventional — Stage 1: punishment orientation (Rules are obeyed to avoid punishment),, Stage 2: Instrumental orientation or personal gain (Rules are obeyed for personal gain)

• Level 2: Conventional morality — Stage 3: ‘Good boy/girl’ orientation (Rules are obeyed for approval),, Stage 4: Maintenance of the social order (Rules are obeyed to maintain social order)

• Level 3: Post-conventional morality — Stage 5: Morality of contract and individual rights (Rules are challenged if they infringe on the rights of others),, Stage 6: Morality of conscience (Individuals have a personal set of ethical principles)

What is a strength and limitation of levels of moral reasoning?

Research Support:

• Evidence for the link between level of moral reasoning and crime. Palmer and Hollin: compared moral reasoning in 332 non-offenders and 126 convicted offenders using the Socio Moral Reflection Measure Short Form. The offending group showed less mature moral reasoning.

Type of offence

• The level of moral reasoning may depend on the offence. Thornton and Reid: people who crime for financial gain were more likely to show preconventional moral reasoning than those convicted of impulsive crimes

What are cognitive distortions?

Errors or biases in people’s information processing system characterised by faulty thinking. E.g hostile attribution bias and minimalisation.

What is hostile attribution bias?

A tendency to misinterpret the actions of other people (assume they are being confrontational when they are not)