Moral Development Theories Flashcards
ABC AREAS OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
AFFECTIVE
BEHAVIOURAL
COGNITIVE
ABC: AFFECTIVE
- feelings regarding moral issues (ie. feeling good/bad/sorry; righteous indignation)
- associated w/Freud aka. conscience/superego development
- SLT; imitation/assimilation of external values/standards/ideals
ABD: BEHAVIOURAL
- what people actually do when confronted with moral issues/dilemmas
- early work = 1920s Hartshorne & May
- recent work = Talwar & Lee
ABC: COGNITIVE
- how you reason about moral issues
- mostly Piaget & Kohlberg
EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL (LEWIS, 2007)
- <6M = surprise/joy/anger/disgust/fear/interest
- 2Y = consciousness (self-referential beh) -> non-evaluative embarrassment/envy/empathy
- 3Y = standards/rules acquisition/retention -> evaluative embarrassment/pride/shame/guilt
PIAGET: STAGES OF MORAL REASONING
- AMORAL/PREMORAL STAGE
- 5-6Y
- heteronomous morality - MORAL REALISM
- 7-10Y
- transitional period - MORALITY OF RECIPROCITY
- 11-12Y
- autonomous morality
PIAGET: METHODOLOGY
- examined kids’ use of rules/games
- used moral vignettes to examine moral judgements
PIAGET: PREMORAL STAGE
- 5-6Y
- don’t pay attention to rules
- believe others (ie. parents/teachers) make justice decisions
- don’t consider intentions/motives
- only action consequence = important
PIAGET: MORAL REALISM
- 7-10Y
- believe “rules can’t be changed”
- use rules rigidly
- don’t consider others’ action intentions
- egocentrism
- BUT also make progress:
- try to better understand rules
- value on fairness
- interact w/peers; opportunities to cooperate
PIAGET: MORALITY OF RECIPROCITY
- 11-12Y
- understand that “rules can be changed”
- take into account motives/intentions of others’ actions
- understand that adults can be unfair sometimes
- understand that “punishment should fit the crime”
PIAGET: STRENGTHS
- empirically supported; tested in many countries
- recognised importance of cognitive factors in kids’ moral reasoning
- contributed to new research in moral development
PIAGET: WEAKNESSES
- claim that peer interactions enhance moral development = not empirically supported
- claimed young kids don’t consider action intentions BUT even infants have some intentionality understanding
HAMLIN ET AL (2010)
- infant morality
- 3m infants referred helping character in puppet play > “naughty” character that pushed the protagonist down the hill
- BUT had no pref if protag = inanimate object
KOHLBERG: STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
PRE-CONVENTIONAL
1. obedience/punishment orientation
2. self-interest orientation
CONVENTIONAL
3. social conformity orientation
4. law/order orientation
POST-CONVENTIONAL
5. social contrast orientation
5. universal ethics orientation
KOHLBERG: PRE-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 1
PUNISHMENT/OBEDIENCE ORIENTATION
- egocentric deference to superior prestige powers
- punishment avoidance
KOHLBERG: PRE-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 2
INSTRUMENTAL/EXCHANGE ORIENTATION
- right actions = instrumental in satisfying one’s own needs/desires/others (to the extent that one cares for others aka. “I scratch your back; you scratch mine”)
- intentions of others start to be taken into account
KOHLBERG: CONVENTIONAL STAGE 3
MUTUAL INTERPERSONAL EXPECTATIONS
- interpersonal conformity
- “good boy/girl” orientation
- orientation to approval/pleasing/helping others
- actions judged primarily by intention
KOHLBERG: CONVENTINAL STAGE 4
LAW/ORDER ORIENTATION
- social systems and conscience
- orientation to duty/respect for authority/social order maintenance for its own sake
- people’s interventions = important BUT obligation to obey law/support social order overrides them
KOHLBERG: POST-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 5
SOCIAL CONTRAST/INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS ORIENTATION
- right actions = those society agrees upon BUT clear awareness that values/opinions/laws = relative w/arbitrary element that can be changed esp. w/affected groups approval
- duty = contract/avoiding violating will/rights of others/welfare maintenance
KOHLBERG: POST-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 6
UNIVERSAL ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
- orientation to universal ethical principles above existing laws
- self-chosen ethical principles of own conscience
KOHLBERG: PRE-CONVENTIONAL/PREMORAL REASONING
- responsive to cultural rules/evaluative labels (ie. right/wrong/good/bad)
- BUT views them in unpleasant/pleasant consequences/physical power of those who impose rules
KOHLBERG: CONVENTIONAL REASONING
- active orientation to maintaining family/peer expectations = value of own right
- peoples intentions = important
KOHLBERG: POST-CONVENTIONAL MORALITY/PRINCIPLED LEVEL
- right actions = those society agrees upon BUT clear awareness that values/opinions/laws = relative w/arbitrary element that can be changed esp. w/affected groups approval
KOHLBERG: PROMOTING MORAL DEVELOPMENT
- importance of discussion groups
- children presented w/moral issues
- arguments = advanced/above child’s current moral reasoning lvl; students led discussion
KOHLBERG-BLATT METHOD - kids take one view BUT given discrepant info
- more advanced understanding post group discussion
