Moral Development Flashcards
(36 cards)
Which two researchers proposed the most influential theories of moral development?
Kohlberg & Piaget
What are the two levels in Piaget’s theory of moral development called?
Heteronomous morality & autonomous morality
What is the age range for heteronomous morality?
Ages 4 to 7
Describe heteronomous morality
Also called morality of constraint; children view rules as absolute & unchangeable & believe in imminent justice (i.e., violations of rules inevitably lead to punishment)
When judging damaging acts in heteronomous morality stage, on what are children’s judgments based?
Based on damaging act’s consequences, i.e., more negative the consequences, the worse the act
According to Piaget, on what is heteronomous (inflexible moral reasoning) based?
Due to combination of preoperational egocentrism & constraint of parental authority
When do children shift morality levels, i.e., from heteronomous to autonomous? At what age-ish? What is believed to be the “cause(s) of” this shift?
By age 7 or 8; due to a decline in egocentrism, social interactions w/peers, & gradual release from adult vigilance & constraint
Autonomous morality is also known as…
Morality of reciprocity
How is autonomous morality described?
Rules recognized as being determined by agreement between individuals & as result, alterable
How do children judge damaging acts in autonomous morality?
They consider the intentions of the actor to be most important.
Piaget’s interest in children’s understanding and use of deception at various ages
Under age 6 = usually equates lies w/things they are not supposed to say, i.e., lies similar to “dirty words”
Between ages 6-10 = label any untrue statement as a “lie”
By age 11 = understand that only a intentionally false statement is a lie
At what age did Piaget believe children started intentionally lying? What has more recent research found?
About age 7; recent studies suggest children as young as 3-4 intentionally lie to avoid punishment or embarrassment
Overview of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development; how did he study morality?
3 levels = (1) preconventional, (2) conventional, (3) post-conventional
Within each level there are 2 stages =
Stage 1 - Punishment & obedience orientation
Stage 2 - Instrumental hedonistic orientation
Stage 3 - “Good boy-good girl” (social relations) orientation
Stage 4 - Authority & social order-maintaining orientation
Stage 5 - Social contract & individual rights orientation
Stage 6 - Universal ethical principles orientation
Presented subjects w/hypothetical moral dilemma & asked them what though person described should do
What is morality based on at preconventional level?
Morality based on consequences of the act; bxs that are punished = “bad” & bxs that are rewarded = “good”
Focus of Stage 1 =
Avoiding punishment when making moral judgments
Focus of Stage 2 =
That which satisfies their own needs as moral
What guides morality at the conventional level?
The desire to maintain existing social laws, rules, norms
Focus of Stage 3 =
Individual is oriented toward maintaining approval of relatives & friends
Focus of Stage 4 =
Person’s orientation is toward obeying society’s laws & rules
How do individuals at post-conventional level define morality?
In terms of self-chosen principles
What is person in Stage 5’s orientation?
Toward upholding democratically-determined laws but recognizes that laws can be ignored or changed for a valid reason
What does morality reflect in Stage 6?
Morality reflects fundamental universal ethical principles (especially justice & fairness) that transcend legal standards
Is there a one-to-one correspondence between age and level of moral reasoning?
No, but in general, transition between preconventional & conventional occurs between ages 10-13, while transition between conventional and post-conventional occurs in mid-adolesscence to later, if it occurs at all
What are a few of the key assumptions underlying Kohlberg’s theory?
(1) Invariant sequence of stages, though Stages 5 & 6 are not reached by most people
(2) Moral development is an outgrowth of cognitive development, i.e., occurs as result of cognitive disequilibrium or noticing that one’s current moral reasoning doesn’t fully account for reality
(3) Each stage represents an organized whole, i.e., during each Stage, person applies distinct pattern of moral reasoning to a wide variety of situations
