Morality - 1 Flashcards
Heteronomous Rules
rules put into place by others
Autonomous Rules
rules the individual decides themselves
Morals
standards of right and wrong behaviour that can differ between cultures and can depend on the situation
Moral Development
- Children’s growing understanding about right and wrong.
2. There is an important focus on how their understanding of moral behaviour changes over time and into adulthood
Difference between morals and morality
- Morals refer to what is right and wrong. Something that is moral is what most people agree is right and good.
- Morality refers to proper behaviour. People should behave according to principles of what is right and wrong. Morality means separating good behaviour from bad behaviour
Development of morality according to Piaget
- Piaget suggests that moral understanding develops as with cognitive development through stages
- From about 5 to 10 years a child believed rules cannot be changed. Their ideas of morality come from others around them and they tend to focus on action’s consequences. This stage is heteronomous (directed by others)
- From about 10 years old, a child knows that the intentions of the action are important. A child understands that it can be right to change rules to benefit others if everyone agrees. Morals are seen as agreed between people and the child knows that following rules is about more than the consequences of not following them. This stage is autonomous.
Development of morality according to Kohlberg
Lawrence Kohlberg like Piaget used stories to find someones stage of moral development. Kohlberg suggest that there are 3 levels of moral reasoning
- Level one is pre-conventional (up to 9 years old). The child believes rules cannot be changed. It is the consequence of the action that makes it a good or bad action. Stage 1 of level 1 focuses on the child obeying in order to avoid punishment and stage 2 of level 1 is about self-interest. These two stages are found in children and are a basic view of right and wrong
- Level 2 is conventional morality (most young people and adults). The young person or adult sees themselves as a good member of society and that is their starting point for what is moral behaviour. Reasoning comes from group norms. Stage 3 of level 2 is about being seen as good and conforming to social rules, Stage 4 of level 2 is about maintaining social order by obeying authority
- Level 3 is post conventional morality (only 10% of people reach this level). The individual has their own ideas about what is good and bad. They understand there are moral principles that are universal rather than being for one society. Stage 5 of level 3 is about laws being social contracts. Stage 6 of level 3 is the understanding that moral reasoning is abstract
Social Norm
the values and customs of a society directs the individual within its behaviour
Weaknesses of Piaget and Kohlberg
- Both Piaget and Kohlberg used stories that were artificial and might not represent real thinking (lack validity).
- Carol Gilligan (1977) criticised Kohlberg saying his male only sample meant his theory was about male morality
Development of Morality according to Damon
- William Damon’s (1999) theory explains how children develop an idea of their moral self which links to their development of understanding of morality and morals
- He discusses how moral development is explained by some as being in our biology
- Nativist theories hold that emotions are within us, such as babies being able to feel empathy more or less from birth (nature)
- Nurture theories show how children are affected by environment and social influences.
- Damon concludes that moral identity (someone’s commitment to morals)comes from many social influences a child experiences. Therefore, children must hear a consistent message about shared standards to develop moral understanding
Nativist Theories
Theories that view morality as part of human nature
Helping children develop a moral understanding
Children who experience different views and ways of looking at things may develop more in a moral sense
Damons ideas about developing empathy
- Early infancy: Children’s feelings towards others are not different from their feelings towards themselves. There is global empathy
- Aged 1 to 2: Children realise others are upset and this distresses them but they do not understand what to do about it
- Early Childhood: Children learn that others have a different view from their own and might react differently from them in a situation, so they can be more responsive to someone’s distress
- Aged 10 to 12: Children start to realise that other people may live in poverty and have difficulties such as disabilities
