Moral Reasoning
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Transcript Moral Reasoning
Moral Development
Children’s moral development—an
understanding of right and wrong—and
ultimately a child’s behavior-is influenced by:
Affective or emotional component: guilt, empathy, sense
of conscience
Cognitive component: how we think about right and
wrong
Behavioral component: how we actually behave we
experience temptation to lie, cheat, or violate moral
rules
Affective Component
Probably least understood
Freudian theory or guilt
Temperament of child
Parenting styles
E.g., warmth-love, disciplinary approach
Behavioral Component
Can be quite independent of both affect
and understanding (e.g., Clinton)
Again, is highly related to both personality
and parenting
Again, the not well understood
E.g., knowledge vs behavior– teen
pregnancy
Cognitive Component
While moral behavior depends on
socialization, it is also a process of
cognitive development
One very influential theory was developed
by Lawrence Kohlberg
Kohlberg presented “moral dilemmas to
children and studied how their answers
changed with development
Story of two brothers and dad
Joe was working hard to earn money to attend a
summer camp. He worked all year to make the
necessary $500
Just before summer his Dad (a hard working,
single father) decided he needed the money for a
camping trip with friends
He told Joe to give him the money. Should Joe
refuse?
Alex, Joe’s brother finds out that Joe really had
earned $1,000 not $500. Should Alex tell the
father?
Conscientious Objector?
During a time of war, should people be
allowed out of the military because they
morally do not believe in killing?
Kohlberg Moral Dilemma
In Europe, a woman was near death from cancer.
One drug might save her, a form of radium that a
druggist in the same town had recently
discovered . The druggist was charging $2,000,
ten times what the drug cost him to make. The
sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone
he knew to borrow the money, but he could get
together only about half of what it cost. He told
the druggist that his wife was dying and asked
him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But
the druggist said no. The husband got desperate
and broke into the man’s store to steal the drug
for his wife. Should the husband have done that?
Why?
Heinz Morality Story
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Judgment
On basis of longitudinal research, Kohlberg
proposed that children develop moral
reasoning through a specific series of
stages that are discontinuous and
hierarchical.
Each stage reflects a qualitatively different,
more adequate way of thinking than the
one before.
Kohlberg presented children with
hypothetical moral dilemmas and
questioned them about the issues
involved.
Kohlberg’s 6 Stages
Age-related
Sequential
Universal
Kohlberg’s Stages
Level I- Preconventional
Stage I: Rules obeyed for own sake and to
avoid punishment
Stage II: Follow rules when in doing say is in
one’s own best interest
Level II- Conventional
Stage 3: Good boy/girl stage. One must live
up to what is expected by people close to you
Stage 4: Law and Order. Must uphold laws
Kohlberg’s Stages
Level III: Post Conventional
Stage 5: Being aware that people hold a
variety of values.
Stage 6: Understanding universal principles
but also the importance of following selfchosen principles
1. Punishment & Obedience
Consequences
Avoid punishment
No: Stealing is a crime; will go to jail
Yes: Drug is only worth $200, not $2000;
probably won’t be a big crime
2. Naïve Hedonism
Consequences
Personal rewards
No: Druggist needs to make back what it cost
him and to make a living himself
Yes: Doesn’t want to lose his wife
Preconventional
3. Good Boy/Good Girl
Intentions
Help,
please others
No: Can’t be blamed if his wife dies; he
still loves her & tried to do everything he
could
Yes: He’s doing it because he loves his
wife; he means well; it would be his
fault if his wife died
4. Law & Order
Will
of society
Laws,
rules maintain social order
No: Always wrong to steal; must abide
by the law or everyone would steal
Yes: Wants to save his wife, but since
he’s broken the law, must be willing to
pay the consequences
5. Social Contract
Human
Social
values & rights
contracts
Legality
vs. Morality
No: The ends don’t justify the means even
though good would come of it; must respect the
laws that people have agreed to for the sake of
society
Yes: Even though he would be breaking the law,
in this case, it’s the only choice for saving his
6. Individual Principles of Conscience
Abstract principles
Universal justice, truth
Transcend laws, social contracts
Individual conscience
No: May be many other lives that depend on
this drug, not just his wife; what is right is what
is right for all people; must act on what is just,
not what is legally correct or emotionally
preferable
Yes: Preserving a life is the highest moral
principle; although legally wrong, it is morally
Increasing Complexity
Will go to jail
Doesn’t want to lose his wife
He loves his wife; can’t be blamed
It’s against the law
Must respect the agreements people have
made with each other
Preserving life is the highest moral principle,
above the law
Mean Percentage of Moral Reasoning
by Age Group
Role of Parents and Peers