Transcript MORAL DEVELOPMENT

MORAL DEVELOPMENT
MORALITY AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT
THREE FACTORS OF MORALITY
THEORIES OF MORALITY
PIAGETS’ AND KOHLBERG THEORIES OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
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WHAT IS MORALITY/MORAL?
 Cullis T et al(1999): define morality as beliefs
about what is wrong and right, good and bad.
 Santrock (1995): defines moral as rules and
conventions about what people should behave in
their interactions with other people.
 Slavin, R (1988): refers moral to rules that tell
people how to communicate with one another and
behave, how to avoid hurting others and how to get
along in life generally.
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WHAT IS MORALITY?
 Fontana (1986:265) in Psychology for Teachers:
morals are attitudes and behaviors that are
generally prized by a society in which one lives.
They may be rules seen by responsible members of
society as having a binding effect in matters of
conduct and of interpersonal relationships.
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WHAT IS MORALITY?
The definitions show that morality or moral is
about:
 Understanding and beliefs about right and wrong;
 Adherence to rules and conventions that govern
people’s interactions and bind their relationships;
 Avoiding harming others, expecting happiness
and good;
 Society’s approved attitudes and practices.
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FACTORS OF MORALITY
COGNITIVE
AFFECTIVE
UNDERSTANDING,
REASONING,
JUDGING
FEELINGS,
APPROVAL,
SATISFACTION.
APPRECIATION
ACTUAL
BEHAVIOR, WHAT A
PERSON DOES
MORALITY
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BEHAVIORAL
PERSPECTIVES ABOUT MORALITY
PSYCHOANALYTIC
BEHAVIORAL
SOCIAL
COGNITIVE
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• UNCONSCIOUS INTERNALIZATION OF MORALE
• THROUGH REARING PRACTICES, PARENTS
INFLUENCE MORAL CODES AND STANDARDS
• MORAL CODES, VALUES AND STANDARDS ARE
LEARNT THROUGH CONDITIONING
• REWARDS AND PUNISHMENT
• OBSERVATION, MODELING, IMITATION AND
REINFORCEMENT
• MORAL CODES, VALUES AND STANDARDS ARE
LEARNT THROUGH REASONING, JUDGING,
INTERPRETING MORAL BEHAVIOR
PIAGET’S THREE STAGES OF
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
AMORAL (before 4 years
old): No awareness of
rules;
unable to give moral
judgment
HETERONOMOUS (4-7
years):rules from
authority (parents,
teachers, God); can not be
questioned or
challenged.
They are fixed and
obligatory.
Breaking rules deserves
penalty (immanent
justice).
They are moral realists;
Consider damage caused
not intention
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AUTONOMOUS
morality(10 years
onwards): rules are not
fixed, not absolute, can
be questioned,
challenged and changed
depending upon the
wish of the people.
Consider both intention
consequences.
Rules are created by
people for regulating
behavior
Kohlberg conception of morality
Source: Kohlberg’s ‘Moral Stages and
Moralization: The Cognitive- Developmental
Approach’ in Diessner, R. 1997: Sources: Notable
Selections in Human Development pp 25-34)
He builds his theory upon Piaget’s theory.
Assumptions
 His theory is based on analysis of moral dilemma
administered to people of different ages.
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 Development of logic, intelligence and
reasoning is important in moral development.
 Advanced moral reasoning depends on advanced
logical reasoning.
 Moral development is associated with social
perception (understanding people’s feeling,
thoughts and their roles).
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MORAL DILEMMA
 A woman had a special kind of cancer.There was one drug
recently discovered that might save her and was expensive to
make but the druggist was charging ten times of the
expenses.The sick man’s husband tried to borrow money
from many people but failed to get the required money even
half of the price. He asked the druggist to sell it cheaper in
order to save his wife but refused and answered,‘I have
discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it’.
So the husband broke into the store and steal the drug for
his wife.Taken from Kohlberg 1969 in Santrock, J;
1995:p334.
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Questions about the moral dilemma
 Should the husband have stolen the drug?
 Was stealing it right or wrong? Why?
 Is it the husband’s duty to steal the drug for his
wife? If he can not get it by other means?
 Would a good husband steal?
 Did the druggist have the right to charge that
much when there was no law setting a limit on
the price? Why or why not? (Santrock;1995:
334).
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Kohlberg conception of moral
development
 Kohlberg analyzed the answers from which he
developed three levels of moral development;
LeveI: Pre-conventional level,
LeveII: Conventional level and
LeveIII: Post-conventional level.
 Within each level there are two stages. The
second stage is more advanced and organized
form of each major level.
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Conventional: conforming to the rules,
expectations and conventions of society or
authority.
 LEVEL I: Pre-conventional: most children under
nine, some adolescents and criminals.
 Rules and social expectations are external to
the self;
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 Stage one: awareness of social control in
enforcing rules.
 Children do good to avoid punishment, fear of
breaking the rule and avoiding physical damage
to persons and property.
 Stage 2: doing good for meeting immediate
satisfaction, interest and needs.
 Right is what is fair, it is an equal exchange, a
deal and an agreement.
 A stage of mutual interpersonal expectations,
relationships and conformity
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LEVEL II: Conventional: (most adolescents and
adults).
 Stage 3: A level of good boy and good girl
mentality, law and order mentality.
 The self is identified with or has internalized the
rules and expectations of others or the
authority.
 People are loyal and trustful.
 They do good to seek approval, respect and
mutual relationships from social members.
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Stage 4:
 Behavior is judged by intention.
 People support society’s standards of conduct
and authority in maintaining social order.
 They don’t want the rules to be broken and any
one breaking the rules deserves punishment.
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 LEVEL III (Post- conventional): few adults
and is usually reached after the age of 20.
Stage 5: Social contract or utility, individual
rights and a sense of obligation to laws.
 People understand and accept the society’s rules
and values which must be based on the general
moral principles.
 People question and redefine rules and
conventions in terms of individual’s moral
perspective and social obligations.
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 An individual is committed to the standard and
to moral principles of a good or just society.
 Belief in universal moral right and moral
conscience.
 Conventions are rationally defined in ways that
can be justified to any moral individual.
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 Stage 6: Post-conventional people judge by
universal principles rather than by
conventions, e.g. equality, human rights,
respect.
 People reason out why something is wrong or
right
 Self-chosen ethical principles
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References
 Davenport, G.C (1994): An Introduction to Child Development
(2nd edition). London: Collins Educational
 Elliot, S et al (2000): Educational Psychology: Effective Teaching,
Effective Learning. Boston: McGraw Hill,.
 Kohlberg, L ‘Moral Stages and Moralization: The CognitiveDevelopmental Approach’ in Diessner, R. 1997: Sources: Notable
Selections in Human Development pp 25-34). NewYork: Dushkin.
 Papalia, D et al (2001):Human Development (eighth edition). Boston:
McGraw Hill
 Rosser, R & Nicholson, G (1987): Educational Psychology: Principles
and Practice. Boston: Little Brown and Comp.
 Santrock, J (1999): Psychology;The Science of Mind and Behavior.
Dubuque: WCB. Brown & Benchmark.
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