Level of moral reasoning
Moral reasoning refers to the process by which an individual draws upon their own value system to determine whether an action is right or wrong.
- Kohlberg attempted to objectify this process by identifying different levels of reasoning based on people’s answers to moral dilemmas
What did Kohlberg’s theory propose?
- 3 levels of moral development, with each level split into two stages.
- Kohlberg suggested that people move through these stages in a fixed order, and that moral understanding is linked to cognitive development.
- Preconventional
- Conventional
- Postconventional.
Pre-conventional morality
- Lasts until approximately age 9.
- a need to avoid punishment and gain rewards, is associated with less mature, child like reasoning.
Conventional morality
- Acceptance of social rules concerning right and wrong. At the conventional level (most adolescents and adults), we begin to internalize the moral standards of valued adult role models.
Post-conventional morality
- Characterised by an individuals’ understanding of universal ethical principles.
- These are abstract and ill-defined, but might include: the preservation of life at all costs, and the importance of human dignity.
- According to Kohlberg this level of moral reasoning is as far as most people get.
In what stage are criminals most likely to be classified in?
Pre-conventional level of Kohlberg’s model
Cognitive distortions
Faulty, biased and irrational ways of thinking that mean we perceive ourselves, other people and the world inaccurately and usually negatively
Hostile attribution bias
The tendency to judge ambiguous situation, or the actions of others, as aggressive and/or threatening when in reality they may not be
Minimalisation
A type of deception that involves downplaying the significance of an event or emotion. A common strategy when dealing with feelings of guilt.
