Moral Development

1. Moral Development

2. Kohlberg’s Theory • Closely linked to cognitive development • Used Piaget to generate his stages • Steps are sequential and progressive

3. Preconventional Stage • Child makes moral decision based upon reward and punishment • Child does not consider the act itself • Substage 1: Obedience and Punishment • Child does not understand the conventions of society • Fear is motivation – obeys to avoid punishment • Child does what other children do Preschool

4. Conventional Stage • Child wants to please others, so he goes by the rules • Wants to follow the rules and values of society • Obsessed with the idea of fairness • Substage 1: Good child • Concerned with what others think • Substage 2: Law and Order • Rules are absolute and should be obeyed • Doesn’t care if they are fair Early adolescence

5. Postconventional Stage • Child goes beyond himself and society • Does what he thinks is right regardless of what others think • Many never reach this stage • Substage 1: Social Contract • Believes laws are relative and may change if necessary

6. Substage 2: Principled • Personal beliefs are based upon ethics or principles • Substage 3: Cosmic • Sees the cosmic view and believes in seeking a universe cause This is the stage we want people to achieve!

7. Criticisms • Sampled only men • Did not sample a variety of cultures • Theories deal with moral thinking and moral behavior • Self-reported data – is it reliable?

8. Gilligan’s Theory • Believed Kohlberg’s theory was male-biased • Emphasizes the female principle of caring • Says there is a gender difference

9. Individual survival:woman concerned for only self • Self-sacrifice and social conformity: thinking dominated by a sense of responsibility and concern for others • Nonviolence: includes not only her own needs but those of others • Tries not to hurt others or self • Major difference with Kohlberg