Moral development and Aggression Flashcards
what is pro social behaviour
-what are the key ingredients of PS behaviour
pro social behaviour - voluntary behaviour intended to benefit another
-altruism
-empathy
-morality
definitions
-altruism
-empathy
-morality
Altruism
* A genuine concern for the welfare of others and willingness to act on
that concern.
Empathy
* A person’s ability to experience the emotions of other people
Morality
* The ability to distinguish right from wrong, and (sometimes) act on
that distinction. Experience pride in virtuous conduct, but shame over
acts that violate standards.
What are considered to be the most important aspects of a child’s social development?
- 74% of parents said they hoped their child would acquire a strong
sense of morality (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009)
- most important aspects of a child’s social development
-3 key moral principles
- Avoid hurting others
-Aggression was one behaviour that most parents said they would try
to suppress / avoid in their child. - Prosocial concern
-Encourage altruism through sharing, comforting, helping others - Personal commitment to abide by rules
-Comply with social rules of conduct, help child acquire personal
values and ethics to know (and choose) right from wrong.
moral development - the three dimensions
-affective component
-cognitive component
-behavioural component
affective component
cognitive component
behavioural component
- Affective component – emotions
- Stressed by psychoanalytic theorists (e.g., Freud).
- Cognitive component – reasoning
- Stressed by cognitive-developmental theorists (e.g. Piaget; Kohlberg).
- Cognitive growth and social experiences improve rules/norms understanding.
- Behavioural component – action
- Stressed by social learning and social information-processing theorists (e.g.,
Bandura).
Piaget’s theory of moral development
-studied:
- Studied childrens’ understanding of
(1) respect for rules and
(2) concepts of justice.
“Logic is the morality of thought just as morality is the logic of
action”
Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development
-the stages of the theory
Premoral Period
Pre-school age ;
-Little concern or awareness of rules. Make up own rules
Stage 1:
Heteronomous Morality
Age 5-10 years ;
-“Under the rule of another.” Strong respect for rules, cannot be altered. Authority figures. Actions judged by consequences, not intent. Punishment for its own sake, not tailored to act
Stage 2:
Autonomous Morality
By age 10-11;
Social rules are arbitrary agreements that can be challenged, changed, and sometimes violated. Intent is important. Tailored punishment. Assume morality is fully developed.
Critical Evaluation of Piaget’s Theory
Core criticism: Underestimates the competence of children to understand intentionality ;
- Intentionality is a core aspect of making moral judgements.
–* Theory of mind, move away from egocentrism, other perspectives. - Argues capability to apply intentionality to moral judgements
only developed in later childhood (10 yrs >). - But research by Killen et al. (2011) shows that young children
aged 3-7 can:
–* Assign more blame when act was intentional than accidental.
–* Rated intentional acts as ‘more bad’ than accidental acts
‘Morally-relevant Theory of Mind test’
(MoToM)
Ability to interpret intentionality shown in younger children than
Piaget proposed.
So young children CAN
distinguish between
intentions and outcomes and
apply those to moral
judgements.
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
- Expansion of Piaget’s theory, beyond childhood (10-16 years).
- Moral dilemmas requiring choice between obeying rules or disobeying rules while serving a human need. Focus on rationale used to justify decision.
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
-level, stage and example
level 1 - Pre- conventional
stage 1 - punishment and obedience
example ; It’s OK to do it if you don’t get caught.
stage 2 -self interest (egocentric)
example ; If it feels good, do it
level 2 - conventional
stage 3 - comply with social expectations
example ; moral behaviour that pleases, helps, or approved by others
stage 4 - uphold social order
example - Do your duty, social rules and laws and worth preserving.
level 3 - post conventional
stage 5- social contract -
example - Distinction between morality and legality
stage 6 - Individual principles of conscience
example - One’s own ethics, universal justice, dignity.
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
should heinz steal the drug
conventional stage : Not steal the drug as he would be breaking the
law
post conventional stage : Steal the drug but should not go to prison as
unfair.
critical evaluation of Kohlberg’s Theory
age/cultural/gender bias
- Age bias?
- Not as applicable to young children (complex dilemmas).
- Heavy focus on legal issues.
- Cultural bias?
- Post-conventional morality not found to exist in some societies.
- Highest stages are Western ideals.
- Gender bias?
- Theory developed from sample of only male participants.
- Carol Gilligan argues different gender-typing and expectancies lead to
different moral orientations. - Boys – ‘Morality of Justice’; Girls – ‘Morality of Care’
what is aggression
Defined as any form of behaviour intended to injure or harm a living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment
(Dodge et al., 2006).
aggression - intentionality
- Acts where harm was intended.
- Even if act not carried through (e.g., violent kick that misses target).
- Excludes accidental harm (eg enjoyable play with no harmful intent)
the types of agression
- hostile aggression - goal is to harm
-overt aggression, direct physical
-relational aggression : indirect, psycho social
overt aggression / relational aggression and males and females
overt
- By 2 ½ - 3 years old, males are
more physically and verbally
aggressive than females.
* Rougher play with parents.
* More negative parental
reaction to aggressive
behaviours of daughters.
* Gender-typing of toys.
relational aggression
-Females are more relationally
aggressive.
is aggression a stable attribute
- Aggressive toddlers likely to be
aggressive 5 year olds. - Aggression between 3 years and 10 years old predicts aggression and antisocial behaviour later in life.
aggression and intentionality
-two other types of aggression
Two other types of aggression:
1. Reactive – driven by emotion.
impulsive; hostile, retaliatory aggression; high arousal; wary of
others.
- Proactive – driven by goals.
planned or considered aggression; requires forethought and
delayed behaviour; produces tangible benefits, eg. enhances
self-esteem; rewarding; bullying.
aggression can result from _____ ______ ______
Aggression can result from immature moral reasoning
moral reasoning and aggression
-egocentricity ?
Egocentric bias is pronounced:
Individual places own concerns as
central and most important.
Normal among young children but
with maturation children should shift from ‘self-centred’ to ‘other-centred’to take other perspectives
Moral reasoning and aggression
-self serving ‘cognitive distortions’
provide justification for aggressive
behaviours
- Hostile Attribution Bias (assuming the worst)
- Blaming others and external causes
- Minimise feelings of guilt and regret by creating own labels and interpretations
what is moral disengagement
a process of convincing yourself that ethical standards don’t apply to you at a certain time or in a particular context
– dissociation.
under what circumstances is cognitive re framing of aggression morally acceptable
*Displacement: actions are dictated by a separate authority and are not one’s own
* Diffusion: in a group setting can believe others to be equally responsible.
* Dehumanisation: victim no longer considered a person
with feelings and thoughts, seen more as an object than
a living being
moral development as a cultural construct
- Children learn about morals and values from family, friends,
community. - Early morality concepts were universal (Kohlberg).
- But can be culturally specific: different self-concepts, emotional
expectations, and value orientations. ‘Moral identity’. - Micro (family, immediate community) and macro (region, country) levels
Constructed view of the world based on past experiences and own
interpretation.
More favourable attitudes to aggressive behaviour predicts actual
aggressive behaviour.
Individual «» Environment
Loeber & Hay (1997)
