PART1 Flashcards
He was an American psychologist best known for his theory of stages of moral development.
Lawrence Kohlberg
six stages of moral development?
-Stage One: Obedience and punishment driven Morality
- Stage Two: Self-interest driven Morality
-Stage Three: Good intentions as determined by social consensus
-Stage Four: Authority and social order obedience driven
-Stage Five: Social contract driven Morality
-Stage Six: Universal ethical principles driven Morality
is the system one uses to decide what is
right and wrong; how one’s conscience affects
choices.
Morality
refers to the capacity of the
individual to act in accord with conscience and
moral imperatives rather than egocentric values.
Moral development
Kohlberg defines ___________ “as judgments of value, as social judgments, and as judgments that
oblige an individual to take action.
moral judgments
moral reasoning is especially common in children and is expected to occur in animals, although adults can also exhibit this level of
reasoning.
pre-conventional level
❑ Individuals focus on the direct consequences of their actions on themselves. For example, an action is perceived as morally wrong because the perpetrator is punished. “The last time I did that I got spanked, so I will not do it again.” The worse the punishment for the act is, the more “bad” the act is perceived to be.
An example of obedience and punishment driven morality would be a child refusing to
do something because it is wrong and that the consequences could result in punishment.
For example, a child’s classmate tries to dare the child to skip school. The child would
apply obedience and punishment driven morality by refusing to skip school because he
would get punished.
Obedience and punishment driven Morality
This can give rise to an inference that even innocent victims are guilty in proportion to their suffering. It is ____________, lacking recognition that others’ points of view are different from one’s own. There is “deference to superior power or prestige”.
“egocentric”
❑ In this stage, it expresses the “what’s in it for me” position, in which right behavior is defined by
whatever the individual believes to be in their
best interest, or whatever is “convenient,” but
understood in a narrow way which does not
consider one’s reputation or relationships to
groups of people.
EXAMPLE
The lack of a societal perspective in the pre-conventional level is quite different from the social contract (stage five), as all actions at this stage
have the purpose of serving the individual’s own needs or interests. For the stage two theorist, the world’s perspective is often seen as morally
relative.
Self-interest driven Morality
moral reasoning is typical for adolescents and adults. To reason in a conventional way is to judge the morality o factions by comparing them to society’s views and expectations.
CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
❑ In this stage, the self enters society by conforming to social standards.
❑ Individuals are receptive to approval or disapproval from others as it reflects society’s views. They try to be a “good boy” or “good girl” to live up to these expectations, having learned that being regarded as good benefits the self.
❑ The intentions of actors play a more significant role in reasoning at this stage; one may feel
more forgiving if one thinks that “they mean very well”.
Good intentions as determined by social consensus
❑ In this stage, it is important to obey laws, dictums, and social conventions because of their importance in maintaining a functioning society
❑ A central ideal or ideals often prescribe what is right and wrong. If one person violates a law, perhaps everyone would—thus there is an obligation and a duty to uphold laws and rules.
❑ When someone does violate a law, it is morally wrong; culpability is thus a significant factor in this stage as it separates the bad domains from the good ones.
❑ Most active members of society remain at stage four, where morality is still predominantly dictated by an outside force.
Authority and social order obedience driven
also known as
the principled level, is marked by a growing
realization that individuals are separate
entities from society, and that the individual’s
own perspective may take precedence over
society’s view; individuals may disobey rules
inconsistent with their own principles.
POST-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
❑ In this stage, the world is viewed as holding
different opinions, rights, and values. Such
perspectives should be mutually respected
as unique to each person or community.
❑ Laws are regarded as social contracts rather
than rigid edicts. Those that do not promote
the general welfare should be changed
when necessary to meet “the greatest good
for the greatest number of people”.
Social contract driven Morality
❑ In this stage, moral reasoning is based on abstract
reasoning using universal ethical principles.
❑ Laws are valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice,
and a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to
disobey unjust laws.
❑ Legal rights are unnecessary, as social contracts are not
essential for deontic moral action. Decisions are not
reached hypothetically in a conditional way but rather
categorically in an absolute way.
❑ In this stage, action is never a means but always an end in
itself; the individual acts because it is right, and not
because it avoids punishment, it is in their best interest,
expected, legal, or previously agreed upon.
Universal ethical principles driven Morality
