Altruism and Moral Development Flashcards
Actions (sharing, helping, or comforting) that benefit other people. No motivational element. Helping someone.
Prosocial Behavior
Concern for the welfare of other that is expressed though prosocial acts. Some people think this is different than prosocial behaviors but it is different in this context.
Altruism
Beneficial acts for which actors primary motive was to address the needs of others - this is how many people view altruism. You must be driven by the want to help people - but helping people and getting a tax break is still altruism.
Motivational/intentional view of altruism
View of Altruism. Behavior that benefits another person, regardless of actor’s motives
Behavioral view of altruism
Theory of Altruism. Altruism is instinctive, survival, Empathy-experiencing the emotions of others, altruistic individuals are more likely to survive and pass on genes. Why do dolphins save humans from sharks and whales save the seals from killer whales?
Biological (Evolutionary) Perspective
Problem with – Perspective, theory of altruism. How can it explain situations where one person offers their life for the life of others? Adults save children because they continue on the generations, and people save people who are similar to them, its kinda the same as passing their genes down
Problems with Evolutionary perspective
- Theory of Altruism. Norm of social responsibility. Principles that we should help others who are in some way dependent on us for assistance. Internalized when superego forms (oedipus complex)
Psychoanalytic Theory of Altruism - Freud
- Theory of altruism. Taking dangerous risks, forgo personal rewards, donate valuable resources, assume that since helping behavior occurred, its consequences must be reinforcing.
Social Learning Theory of Altruism
- Theory. 4 Phases of Prosocial Development.
(1) 2 years - sharing, demonstration of sympathy and empathy
(2) 3-6 years (proportional stage) egocentric, thinking about prosocial issues is often self-serving
(3) Middle childhood/ preadolescence (concrete ops) focus on legit needs of other as justification for prosocial behavior, sympathetic responses are more common.
(4) Adolescence and later (formal ops) Direct acts of kindness to wider range of recipients. Stronger personal responsibility and guilt
Cognitive theory - four phases of prosocial development.
– behavior in: Infancy: upon hearing another baby cry, a baby will cry as well(beginnings of empathy) Toddlerhood: 12-18mo - personal distress over the distress of others 20-23mo-show concern and try to comfort others, individual differences appear due to temperament, inhibited totters are more likely to feel personal distress
Prosocial behavior in infancy and toddlerhood
– behavior in Childhood: sharing, helping, other prosocial behaviors become more and more common
Prosocial behavior in childhood
- differences in Altruism. Small differences. Girls tend to be more helpful, comforting, and sharing that boys. Boys experience the same amount of psychological arousal.
Sex difference in Altruism
- and - contributors to altruism. Role taking abilities self perspective taking (inferring others thoughts, intentions, motives, attitudes) Prosocial moral reasoning
Cognitive and affective contributors to altruism
Feelings of personal discomfort or distress that may be elicited when we - with a distressed other. This inhibits altruism, Feelings of sympathy or compassion that may be elicited when we - with a distressed other.
Empathy
Empathy causes one to reflect on altruistic norms and thus to feel some obligation to help others who are distressed
Felt-Responsiblity Hypothesis
- &-, YEAR. Good Samaritan Study. Seminary students were asked to write an impromptu sermon on good samaritan parable or careers. No time to prepare, then 1/3 were rushed out of the room to the pulpit, 1/3 were told to go to the pulpit, and 1/3 were told to take their time… on their way, a confederate was lying on the ground needing help. No difference in helping based on type of sermon, but significant differences based on time constraints. Rushed = less likely to stop. Even if you are altruistic, time constraints and reality can take a toll on your behavior!
“Good Samaritan” Study: Darley & Batson (1973)
- distingusih right from wrong
- Act on this distinction
- experience pride in virtuious conduct and guilt or shame over acts that violate one’s standards
Morality
Shift form externally controlled actions to conduct that is governed by internal standards and principles. Young children externalize things (they do the right thing to keep from being punished) but as we group up we do things for moral reasons
Internalization
Three - - . 1. Affective (Emotional) - feelings that surround right or wrong actions and motivation moral thoughts and actions. 2. Cognitive - the way we conceptualize right and wrong and make decisions about how we behave
3. Behavioral - how we actually behave when we experience temptation to lie, cheat, or violate moral values
Three Moral Components of Morality
Moral Reasoning - ‘s theory of moral -. Two aspects of moral reasoning. Respect for rules and justice
Piaget’s theory of moral development
-‘s stages of moral development. (1) Premoral period. Birth-5. Little respect or awareness of socially defined rules. (2) Stage of Moral Realism. 5-10. Children view rules of authority figures as scared an unalterable. Rules are moral absolutes. (3) Stage of Moral Relativism (Autonomous Morality) 10-adulthood. Realize that rules are arbitrary agreements that can be challenged or changed with the consent they govern.
Piaget’s Stages of Moral Development
-‘s theory of Moral Development.
Level 1: Preconventional Morality (stage 1: punishment and obiendence orientation, stage 2: naive hedonism)
Level 2: Conventional Morality (stage 3: good boy/good girl orientation, social order maintating morality)
Level 3: Post conventional Morality
(stage 5: social contract orientation, stage 6: morality of individual principles of conscience)
Kohlberg’s Levels and Stages of Moral Development
Kohlberg. Level __.
Rules are truly external rather than internalized
Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Morality
Moral judgments are based on the tangible punitive consequences
Stage 2: Naïve Hedonism
Conform to rules to gain rewards or satisfy personal objectives
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Level 1: Preconventional Morality
Kohlberg. Level __.
Strive to obey rules and social norms to win others’ approval or maintain social order
Stage 3: Good Boy or Good Girl Orientation
Moral behavior is that which pleases, helps, or is approved of by others
Stage 4: Social Order Maintaining Morality
Will of society as reflected in law
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Level 2: Conventional Morality: - most people in the US will fall here
Kohlberg. Level __.
Right and wrong defined in terms of broad principles of justice
Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation
Laws as instruments for expressing the will of the majority and furthering human values
maybe we should change these laws to help our citizens - our constitution was written with this type of orientation
Stage 6: Morality of Individual Principles of Conscience
Defines right and wrong on basis of self-chosen ethical principles of conscience
implicit understanding of the laws of our nation
Makes it morally right to steal the drug, it would be morally wrong to not steal that drug because human life is more important than anything else
Ghandi, MLK, Jesus
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Level 3: Post conventional or Principled Morality
Cultural bias of –. Postconventional Morality does not exist in some societies!
Western ideal of justice
Biased against non-Western cultures
Collectivist societies focus on social harmony and placing good of society over good of self
Cultural Biases in Kohlberg’s Theory
- argues Kohlberg’s theory. Argues that boys and girl reason differently.
Boys: Morality of Justice
Focus on socially defined justice as administered through law and fairness
Girls: Morality of Care
Focus on compassionate concerns for human welfare
Empirically, we find men and women reason about the same level
Women may deem care-oriented situations as being a more moral issue than men (Walker)
Carol Gilligan
Turiel (1983) argues that there are different kinds of rules
Moral rules
Standards of acceptable and unacceptable conduct that focus on the rights and privileges of individuals
Social-Conventional Rules
Standards of conduct determined by social consensus that indicate what is appropriate within a particular social context
Personal Choices
Decisions under personal jurisdiction
Social Domain Theory
brother and sister have sex and all is well but keep it a secret. Is this moral?
- incest, but all bases are covered and its just disgusting to us, everything is fine
Haight’s Work on Disgust and Morality
Hoffman (1970) compared 3 parenting techniques:
Love Withdrawl, power assertion, induction (explaining) first two were not effective, influences what the child will be like for the future
Parenting and Morality
