3401_Slides_Week 3 Moral Development_Moodle

Introduction to Moral Development

  • Instructor: Susan Stevens, BSW, MEd, RSW, CHE, EXTRA Fellow, Adjunct Professor

  • Course: MSVU FSGN 3401 Contemporary and Professional Ethical Issues in Families and Aging

Theoretical Frameworks

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

  • Framework outlining stages of moral reasoning.

4 Component Model of Moral Development

  • Relationship between self-awareness, moral motivation, virtue ethics, and moral courage.

Required Reading

  • Bryan, V. et al. (2022). The Helping Professional’s Guide to Ethics: Theory in Practice (2nd ed.)

    • Chapter 2: Moral Development and Ethical Decision-Making in Social Work Practice.

  • Boss, J. (2019). Ethics for Life: A Text with Readings (7th ed.)

    • Chapter 3: Conscience and Moral Development.

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe Kohlberg’s theory.

  • Discuss the 4-component model.

  • Identify relationships between self-awareness and moral motivation.

  • Understand the connection between virtue ethics and moral courage.

Ethical Theories

Principlism, Deontology, and Utilitarianism

  • Discuss various ethical frameworks including virtue ethics.

Gert’s Common Morality Framework (Bryan et al., 2022)

  • Discusses universal moral principles applicable in ethical decision-making.

Understanding Conscience

Definition and Importance

  • Conscience provides knowledge of right and wrong and integrates reason, critical thinking, and emotion. (Boss, 2019)

Influences on Conscience

  • Factors that shape conscience include heredity, learning environments, and moral direction.

Critical Ecological Model

  • Chronosystem (time)

  • Macrosystem (social and cultural context)

  • Exosystem (links between settings)

  • Mesosystem (relationships between microsystems)

  • Microsystem (immediate environments)

Forces Shaping Conscience

Heredity or Biological Factors

  • Factors such as altruistic behavior, influenced by brain areas like the frontal lobes.

Learning or Environmental Factors

  • Factors such as Freud’s superego and cultural contexts.

Conscious Moral Direction

  • Importance of autonomous moral reasoning and understanding moral responsibilities.

The Role of Moral Emotions

  • Moral Reasoning: Fairness, justice, and rational judgment are critical in ethical evaluation.

  • Moral Emotions: Includes resentment, moral outrage, guilt, empathy, and compassion.

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Overview of Stages

  1. Preconventional: Punishment and obedience; egoism.

  2. Conventional: Good boy/nice girl; society maintaining.

  3. Postconventional: Social contract/legalistic; conscience/universal principle. (Boss, 2019)

Gilligan’s Stages of Moral Development

Overview of Gilligan's Approach

  • Preconventional: Self-centered.

  • Conventional: Self-sacrificing.

  • Postconventional: Mature care ethics.

Four Components of Moral Behavior

Overview

  • Moral Sensitivity: Recognizing moral issues and empathizing with others.

  • Moral Judgment: Evaluating options and providing justifications for moral choices.

  • Moral Character: Integrity and willingness to uphold moral values.

  • Moral Motivation: Personal commitment to ethical actions based on values.

Moral Motivation: Three Necessary Elements

  1. Recognizes conflict between personal/professional values.

  2. Acknowledges potential danger in pursuing moral actions.

  3. Persists despite potential consequences.

Moral Character Attributes

  • Courage, inner strength, and perseverance are essential for moral behavior.

  • Understanding the need for integrity in moral character.

Virtue Ethics

Core Values

  • Caring, compassion, self-sacrifice, honesty, integrity, prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice.

Blasi’s Moral Self Theory

Concept

  • Focuses on moral self and integrity in ethical decision-making.

Empathy and Moral Development

Stages of Empathy

  • Reactive cry and various levels of empathic distress leading to moral maturity.

Conclusion: The Importance of Integrating Head and Heart

  • Ethical decision-making requires a balance between emotional intelligence and rational thought. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Next Week’s Focus

  • Topic: Common Morality and Ethical Decision Making

  • Required Reading: Gert's Theory of Morality and Common Moral Framework (Bryan et al., 2022).