moral development Flashcards
moral judgment
involves both behavior and ones reasoning
Piaget’s theory of moral judgment
- peer interactions > adult influence
- created by asking children to consider different situations of behavior and analyze morals
heteronomous morality
younger than seven, rules/duties are unchangable, judge based on consequences, not morality
autonomous morality
age 11/12, understand rules are social agreements, belive punishments should “fit the crime”, consider motives/intentions
critique of Piaget’s theory
- underestimated children’s ability to recognize intentions, present in 21 month olds!
Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning
- a longitudinal study of cohorts of boys aged 10, 13, 16
- Heinz dilemma, sick wife, husband steals medicine
- pre-conventional level
- punishment/orientation: right = obedience to authority, the goal is to avoid punishment
- instrumental/exchange orientation: child’s best interest is equal exchange between people
- conventional level (social relationships)
- mutual interpersonal relationships, expectations, and interpersonal conformity: good = what others expect of you
- social system and conscious: fulfilling duties, upholding laws, contributing to society
- post-conventional/principled level (ideals)
- social contract/individual rights: upholding rules that are in the best interest of the group
- universal ethical principles: self-chosen, greater influence than the law
social domain theory of moral development
- due to gradual changes based on peer/parental socialization
- cultural differences, Indian vs. U.S. children and candy donation, influence of religion
moral domain
concepts of right and wrong, fairness, justice, individual rights, supersede authority/rules
societal domain
rules/conventions through which societies maintain order
personal domain
actions in which individual preferences are the main consideration, no right/wrong choices, conflict in adolescence!
conscience
internal mechanism increases individual’s ability to conform to standards of conduct in their culture, promotes prosocial behavior
- influenced by both genetics and environment
prosocial behavior
voluntary, intended to benefit others through helping, sharing, or comforting
development of prosocial behavior
- capacity to feel empathy (feeling what they’re feeling) and sympathy (concern for others)
- changes with ability to understand social norms (age 3)
- sense of cooperation
differences in prosocial behavior
- biological factors (evolution, temperament, oxytocin levels)
- environmental factors (parental socialization, culture, family)
- observation and imitational learning!
prosocial behavior and prevention
- primary prevention: all children/staff
- secondary prevention: children deemed “at risk”
- tertiary prevention: children with consistent antisocial behavior
antisocial behavior
disruptive, hostile, aggressive behavior that violates social norms or rules and that harms others
aggression
subcategory acts that intentionally physically/emotionally harm others
development of aggression
- rise in physical aggression until language develops
- then a shift to relational aggression/hostile motives
instrumental aggression
motivated by the desire to hurt another/protect oneself
oppositional defiant disorder
angry/defiant behavior, age-inappropriate and persistant
conduct disorder
severe antisocial/aggressive behavior, inflict pain on others, destruction of property, violation of another’s rights
origins of antisocial behavior
- biological factors: temperament, callous personality, more hereditary in youth
- social cognition: hostile attributional bias
- family influences: punishment, poor parenting, poor monitoring, parental conflict, SES
- peer influences
proactive aggression
aimed at fulfilling a need/desire
reactive aggression
emotionally-driven, hostile
positive youth development
youth intervention that focuses on developing strengths rather than correcting weaknesses
service learning
strategy for promoting positive development integrates school instruction with community involvement
