Kohlberg (1976, 1981) studied responses of children, adolescents, and adults to moral dilemmas.
He identified three major stages of moral development:
Preconventional Morality
Focus: Punishment and Reward.
Definition: What's right is based on rewards; what's wrong is based on punishments.
Conventional Morality
Focus: Societal Values.
Definition: What's right is based on what society approves of; what's wrong is based on societal disapproval.
Postconventional Morality
Focus: Internal Moral Principles.
Definition: What's right protects fundamental human rights and values; what's wrong contradicts these values.
Kohlberg emphasized that:
Reasonable individuals may disagree on what is considered right at each stage.
The rationale behind individuals' decisions, rather than the decisions themselves, is paramount.
Individuals progress through these stages in a fixed order, but the rate at which individuals move through the stages can vary.
Research indicated that a significant number of adults do not advance beyond conventional morality to postconventional morality.
Piaget's Contribution to Moral Development
Overview of Piaget's View
Piaget posited that children's moral development correlates with their cognitive development (Loevinger, 1987).
Example of cognitive developmental stages affecting moral judgment:
Children in the concrete operational stage assess blame based on harm caused.
Older children start considering intentions behind actions, not just the outcomes.
Example of Evaluative Judgments:
Scenario comparing two children:
(a) Child A accidentally breaks 20 plates.
(b) Child B purposely breaks 10 plates.
A 6- or 7-year-old is likely to attribute more blame to Child A based on the amount of harm.
A 12- or 13-year-old is more inclined to blame Child B, considering intentionality rather than sheer damage.
Emerging Adulthood
Definition and Characteristics of Emerging Adulthood
Emerging adulthood is defined as the period between ages 18 and 25, indicating a distinct phase of life separate from adolescence and adulthood (Arnett, 2004).
Characteristics:
Identity and emotional developments solidify during this period.
Role experimentation occurs, where individuals explore various identities and life goals.
Example: Adopting different social groups like “nerdy,” “hipster,” or “jock,” trying different academic majors, or exploring diverse beliefs.