7 - Morality, Psychopathy and Psychopathology Flashcards
Define Morality
Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong, or good and bad behaviour
Early Views on morality: Rousseau and Golding
> Rousseau believed societal corrupted children’s morality
> Golding believed children have inherently bad impulses that society reigns in
lord of the flies
Cognitive, Behavioural and Emotional aspects of morality
- Cognitive
> knowledge of ethical rules and judgements of behaviour - Behavioural
> behaviours that invoke ethical considerations (from adults) - Emotional
> feelings that invoke moral and ethical decisions
Approaches to morality (3)
Evolutionary
Cultural
Forensic Anthropometry
Evolutionary Approach to morality
- how might evolution select for particular moral traits?
> sharing and empathy gives an advantage, encourages reciprocal behaviours
> fewer enemies, more mates, more survival success
Cultural approach to morality
- how do cultures install moral sense?
- moral similarities across cultures may indicate nativism
Forensic Anthropometric approach to morality
- you can tell a criminal by the morphological features of their faces
Piaget’s 3 stages of moral development
Piaget believed there was a strict stage-development of morality
Pre-moral development (0-4) Heteronomous Stage (4-10) Autonomous Stage (10+)
Pre-moral development stage
0-4y > no explicit awareness of rules > no use of moral principles > no notions of justing \+ supports Golding
Heteronomous Stage
4-10y
> rules are seen as unchanging and external, like physical laws
> judgements of culpability are based on the consequences rather than intentions
> little sense of appropriate punishment
Autonomous Stage
10+
> rules are seen as human agreements that can be changed
> judgements of culpability are based on intentions and punishment should be appropriate
+ more sophisticated evaluation of judgement
Piaget’s Morality task and limitations
- Children have difficulty integrating the intention of the actor into their judgements of morality
- Two Scenarios:
> A: the child unknowingly causes multiple cups to smash
> B: the child knowingly attempts to grab a glass, and breaks one cup
Results:
- children think that A is a worse transgression (due to consequence)
- adults think that B is a greater transgression (due to intention)
Limitations:
- Social Conventions vs. Moral Laws
> driving side of road vs. stealing
> the problem Piaget was looking at did not encapsulate rules necessarily, if these laws are not that distinct early on
Kohlberg’s view on morality
Believed that there’s a lot of limitation previously, due to lack of looking at what morality itself is
- theorised that children learn to become moral thinkers, which takes time to develop accuracy
- they often confuse morality with power coercion or authority
Kohlberg’s 6 stages of morality development (3 stages)
Level 1:
Pre-conventional morally (2-10)
{arises from basic needs}
- Stage 1
> Obedience and punishment orientation
\+ moral judgement is driven by the need to avoid punishment
- Stage 2
> Instrumental-relativist orientation
\+ moral judgements are driven by the desire to meet personal needs
Level 2:
Conventional Morality (9y+)
> arises from conforming to expected roles and pleasing others
- Stage 3
> Good boy/good girl orientation
+ moral judgements are driven by a need to be accepted by others as a good person
- Stage 4
> Law and order orientation
+ moral judgements are driven by a desire to adhere to the law
Level 3:
Post-conventional morality (12y+)
> arises from abstract principles that transcend individual circumstances are local cultural contexts
- Stage 5
> Social contract orientation
+ moral judgements arise from adherence to laws that are set up as social constructs for the common good
- Stage 6
> Principled conscience-driven orientation
+ moral judgements arise from adherence to personal principles (i.e. the Golden Rule)
Kohlberg’s Heinz Dilemma
Kohlberg used to measure morality using a moral dilemma
> Heinz’s wife is dying of cancer
> a druggist has a potential cure he discovered, that costs $200 to make and he’s charging $2000
> Heinz can only make up $1000
> the druggist still refuses, on the basis of profiteering
> Heinz steals the medicine
- morally right or wrong?
Cognitive Theories of Moral Development
- distinguish moral judgements from social rules
- many rules
> moral rules
> social convention, nonmoral rules (vary across cultures)
Children
- tend to be selective of beliefs that they tolerate
- sensitive to variations across different belief domains
- responses of other socialising agents affects their moral learning (zone of proximal development)
Development of Self-regulation and delay of gratification
> Control phase (12-18m)
+
Self-control phase (preschool)
+ passive inhibition system (fear and anxiety)
+ active inhibition system (conscious control)
- Self-regulation phase
> child learns to delay gratification and a strong sense of moral self
Development of consciousness
- there are several ways in which consciousness develops
> requires some sense of anxiety and fear
+ individuals that do not develop anxiety may have impaired consciousness - there is an affective side of morality
> fearful people may achieve better self control through guilt, a result of temperament and parental socialisation
> a child’s early ability to inhibit impulses and delay gratification may enhance later competence
Prosocial (altruistic) Behaviour
- voluntary and intended to benefit another
- evident between 12-18m
- increases in repertoire as children age
Developmental trends
- 13-14m: approach others when distressed
- 18m: approach in a specific way
- 2y: verbal advice, helping, sharing, distraction, defence
Psychopathy and it’s 2 types of development, primary and secondary
- children that are high in Callous and Unemotional traits have a high risk of becoming Psychopaths
Development
Karpaman defined 2 types:
- Primary
> biologically rooted
- Secondary
> environmentally mediated
> normally struggled through adversity
What is the specifier for psychopathy type?
- anxiety is the type specifier
- no anxiety indicates primary psychopathy
- high anxiety indicates secondary psychopathy (developed through the adversity)
Aggression and it’s development
Aggression
- unwelcome, negative behaviour that is threatening to others
Development
- infancy (0-2): anger and frustration
- preschool (2-5): instrumental aggression
> use aggression to get what they want - early years (6-7): hostile aggression
- elementary school (7-10): physical and relational aggression
> rumours, social media - adolescence: selective aggression
- there is a strong relationship between childhood physical aggression and criminal convictions
> especially amongst males compared to females
When is the peak of physical aggression?
Preschool age (2-3) is the peak of physical aggression - because individuals cannot desist from using it to solve problems
Psychopathology
study of disorders of the mind
- dysfunctional adult behaviour often seen as a product of development
- resilience is a factor
