moral development Flashcards
stages of Piaget’s theory on moral development
- premoral reasoning (until age 4)
-heteronomous morality (4-7)
-transition stage
-autonomous morality (>11-12)
premoral reasoning (Piaget)
kids under 4 aren’t thinking about other people’s perspectives; lack of moral reasoning
heteronomous morality (Piaget)
-4-7 years
-rules from authority; focus on consequences
-moral realism, imminent justice (will be punished; karma)
-kid who broke ten cups worse than kid who broke 1 cup trying to get forbidden jam
autonomous morality (morality of cooperation) (Piaget)
-11-12
-rules as social agreement
-fairness
-motives and intentions
-moral relativism
what is driving the moral development in piaget’s theory?
cognitive development, time with peers
support for piaget’s theory
-moral reasoning correlated with performance on tests of cog. dev.
-kids increasingly consider intentions/motives
criticisms of piaget’s theory
underestimates children
-young children do consider intentions (as early as 8 months!)
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
-moral dilemmas: focus on children’s reasoning not on specific answers
-Heinz and wife and druggist
Stages of Kohlberg’s moral theory
Level 1: preconventional moral reasoning
~ Stage 1: punishment and obedience
~ Stage 2: instrumental and exchange orientation
Level 2: conventional moral reasoning
~ Stage 3: mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity orientation
~ Stage 4: social system and conscience orientation
Level 3: postconventional moral reasoning
~ Stage 5: social contract of individual rights orientation
~ Stage 6: universal ethical principles
Stage 1: punishment and obedience
-level 1
-obeying authority; avoiding punishment
Stage 2: instrumental and exchange orientation
-level 1
-rewards; quid pro quo stage
-other people’s wants (in a reciprocal way)
-what will the consequences be? what are you getting out of it
Stage 3: mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity orientation
-level 2
right is what is expected by people/society; importance of being “good”, social acceptance
Stage 4: social system and conscience orientation
-level 2
right is doing one’s duty, adhering to authority, upholding social order; “no stealing laws for a reason”
Stage 5: social contract of individual rights orientation
-level 3
right is upholding rules in the best interest of the group or those agreed upon by the group; emphasis on law but distinction between legal right and moral right
Stage 6: universal ethical principles
-level 3
-self-chosen ethical principles that reflect universal principles of justice; civil disobedience (combined with stage 5)
level 1: preconventional moral reasoning
Stage 1: punishment and obedience
Stage 2: instrumental and exchange orientation
level 2: conventional moral reasoning
Stage 3: mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity orientation
Stage 4: social system and conscience orientation
Level 3: postconventional moral reasoning
Stage 5: social contract of individual rights orientation
Stage 6: universal ethical principles
stage 1 vs 4 (Kohlberg)
-1: rules must follow to avoid punishment
-4: rules must follow because it is one’s duty; social order
how do we progress through kohlberg’s theory?
-not maturation, not directly taught
-based on advances in cognition
-individual differences; influences of family, school, peers
-progress through stages linearily
role of culture on kohlberg’s theory
similar sequences of stages across cultures
-he believed that some cultures were less morally advanced (differences in moral principles such as autonomy, community, divinity)
role of gender on kohlberg’s theory
kohlberg’s original study was all male
-carol gilligan: principle of care (care vs individual rights)
kohlberg theory critiques
culture, gender, does moral thought matter for moral behaviour?/does thought predict moral behaviour
why be prosocial?
empathy & sympathy, norms/expectations, reciprocal altruism, positive emotions, situational influences (mood, relationship to person, bank account)
influences on prosocial behaviour
-age: increases with development
-nature (genetics): individual continuity
-nurture (modeling, family values, parenting style, life circumstances)
culture on prosocial behaviours
-across cultures, prosocial behaviours increase with age
-socialization of prosocial behaviour
