...‘How effective is Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development in explaining moral reasoning and moral behaviour?’ Morality refers to the ‘principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour’ (Oxford dictionary, 2013). Moral development focuses on the way morality changes from childhood to adulthood. It consists of two things; moral reasoning and moral behaviour. Moral reasoning is when an individual tried to work out the difference between right and wrong by using logic. This is a process that is undertaken by people daily in their lives when faced with dilemmas and they need to make a decision based on the morality of the action and what the consequences could be. Moral behaviour is the way people can behave depending on their moral reasoning. Moral behaviour consists of four components; moral sensitivity, moral judgement, moral motivation and moral character. Many theories have been developed on moral development. These theories are based on an individual’s level of cognitive maturity. This essay focuses on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, and aims to discuss how effective Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development is, in explaining moral reasoning and moral behaviour. Kohlberg Developed the moral development theory based on Piaget’s theory. Piaget believed that moral development was only a two-staged theory; the first stage of his theory was common in childhood and was called the ‘Heteronomous’ stage. The general idea was...
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...Kohlberg's Moral Development Crystal Bombay, Ruth A .Buissereth, Steven Odemns, Cherish Powell, and Steven Soranno October 26, 2015 Shawn Davis Kohlberg's Moral Development Today’s discussion will evaluate Kohlberg’s theory on moral development and also Carol Gilligan research on moral reasoning. The topic will first summarize the theory of moral development by psychology’s pioneer Lawrence Kohlberg. The discussion will also have a compelling view of three approaches by Kohlberg to help individuals understand moral development. The topic will also give an explanation of three of limitations of the Kohlberg’s theory and how they work in individual’s lives. The discussion will then give insight on Carol Gilligan and her research on gender differences with moral development and reasoning. This topic will bring delightful stimulations to the mind as there is an in-depth look gender differences in the approach of moral development and reasoning. Kohlberg’s theory Lawrence Kohlberg was a psychologist that extended Jean Piaget's theories. Kohlberg felt that moral development was a process that continues throughout an individual's lifespan. According to Reimer (1977), "Piaget's research dealt mostly with younger children. Kohlberg adopted Piaget's methodology and applied it to older children and adolescents" (p. 61). Kohlberg believed that there were six stages to moral development, within these stages they were classified into three different levels. The three...
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...Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is based upon the principles of cognitive development proposed by Piaget. This suggests behaviour is driven by cognitive processing | 1 | Kohlberg’s investigative methods were more systematic than Piaget and therefore the explanation may have greater objectivity. | 2 | Similar to Piaget, Kohlberg suggests that moral development occurs in invariant stages which are culturally universal. | 2 | Snarey’s meta-analysis, which covered both collectivist and individualist cultures, supported the idea that these stages are universal in all cultures. | | | 3 | However, other research has suggested that the theory is culturally biased and Eurocentric. | | | 4 | Kohlberg takes a social constructivist approach to moral development, which means behaviour is affected by interaction This means that ‘good’ development can be promoted and ‘bad’ development can be addressed with therapy. | 3 | Kohlberg suggested that the process is driven by a gradual maturation of thinking skills which enable the individual to take different perspectives. | 5 | Whereas Piaget’s theory suggests that cognitive development occurs until about 12, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development suggests that it continues into adulthood. | 4 | Kohlberg also stated that development necessitates environmental and social interaction. | 6 | Therefore, Kohlberg is incorporating the theories of both Piaget and Vygotsky into the theory of moral development. | 5 | Kohlberg proposed...
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...Kohlberg’s Theory Tiffany Easterling, Sandra Maxey, and Nakeia Trimble PSYCH/600 – Developmental Psychology October 5, 2014 Vicki Koenig Abstract How the development of morality in children develops has been a big question for parents and philosophers for decades. The issue of moral development has been and has become a hot topic within education and psychology. “One of the best known theories was developed by a psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg who modified and expanded up Jean Piaget’s work to form a theory that explained how children develop moral reasoning” (Cherry, 2014). Moral development was described in two stages by Piaget. Kohlberg took those two stages described by Piaget and elaborated on them. The theory of moral development, which is described by Kohlberg, outlines three levels with six stages. Kohlberg believes that political liberalism “will not be replaced by a new ideology of the West but will continue to be its dominant ideology for the next century” (Crain, 1985). Kohlberg’s proposed moral development is a process that is continuous and occurs over the period of a person’s lifetime. “Furthermore, Kohlberg believes that the liberalistic concept of justice represents a higher conceptualization of justice in the same sense in which a higher developmental stage in morality represents a higher understanding of justice” (Crain, 1985). However, Carol Gilligan a well-known psychologist, ethicist, and feminist is against Kohlberg’s theories. “Through...
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...Kohlberg’s Moral Development Linda Jones University of Phoenix Moral development over an individual’s lifespan remains a major topic of interest for psychologists. There are many theories that have been developed over time but one of the most well-known was developed by Lawrence Kohlberg. Kohlberg expanded the work of Jean Piaget and modified it to explain moral reasoning and how it develops. While Piaget described a process of moral development that occurred in only two stages, Kohlberg’s theory grew to include six stages within three different levels. Kohlberg proposed three these six stages and three levels that moral reasoning was a process that continued through an individual’s life. Level 1 of Kohlberg’s Moral Development is Preconventional Morality. It contains two stages. The first stage is Obedience and Punishment. This marks the earliest formation of moral development and is typically seen in young children though adults are also able to express this reasoning. In the first stage the individual sees rules as unchanging and absolute. Obeying the rules becomes a top priority because it is the only way to not be punished (Brans & Blu, 1998). The second stage of Level 1 is called Individualism and Exchange. Children begin to account for their own points of view. They also begin to judge actions based on intent as well as how the action serves the individual (Graham, et al., 2011). Reciprocity begins to be an option but only if the individual’s needs are also...
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...individuals' moral character established throughout his lifespan? What factors influence the decisions that we make and what processes do we go through in making those decisions? Are the decisions that we make simply intuitions of right from wrong or are they governed by outside factors that dictate our decision making abilities? All of these questions are questions that many dynamic psychologists have tried to answer and define throughout the years. More notably are Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, who both addressed the concerns of moral development in the individual, but in differing ways. Piaget, who was best known for his work in how we learn throughout our development, gave Kohlberg a foundation to establish his focused study of how the moral fibers of an individual are created and developed throughout the lifespan (Kretchmar, 2015). Both found that each individual will establish a code of moral ethics throughout their lifespan, but the "why's" of those ethical decisions are often something that are hard to determine. Kohlberg set out to define the moral development of the individual through his studies of human dilemmas. The theory of moral development, formalized by Lawrence Kohlberg is one of significance in study of the lifespan, as it addresses our ability to distinguish right from wrong. The theory also questions if morality was a result of one's true emotional stance or one's expected rationale based on societal rules. With the moral development theory, Kohlberg established...
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...decisions and actions one makes that are either wright or wrong. Lawrence Kohlberg a psychologist followed Piaget’s theory of morality. He came to the conclusion in his research that morality in individuals was developed in six stages. Through his research he studied a sample group of seventy two boys in Chicago. The ages of this group were ten, thirteen, and sixteen. He would later go on to research younger children and boys and girls from other cities in the United States and other countries (Crain 1985). Kohlberg was trying to figure out why some children acted how they did when it came to some moral dilemmas Stages of Moral Development Kohlberg theorized the development of moral behavior into six stages. The first stage is considered the preconvention level. At this stage a person behaviors morally or unmorally depending on the consequences of their behavior and rewards and self-interest (Coon & Mitterer, 2013). There are two stages at this level: obedience and punishment and stage two individualism and exchange. The conventional level is the second level and consists of two stages called Good Interpersonal Relationships and maintaining the social order. People act at this level to please others and to follow the rules and values of the group. The post conventional level is the highest level and consists of social contract and individual rights and Universal principals. Kohlberg states that the behavior of individuals at this level is directed by ideas...
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...Outline and evaluate Kohlberg’s theory of moral development (8+16 marks) Lawrence Kohlberg was influenced by Piaget’s theory of moral development where he also believed that the moral reasoning of children changes over time; he also used moral dilemmas to gather insight into the types of reasoning used by people as they mature. Kohlberg proposed six separate stages of moral development which he grouped together into three levels with the key points of this theory being that the stages are universal and invariant-people everywhere go through the same stages in the same order, each new stage represents a more equilibrated form of moral understanding resulting in a more logically consistent and morally mature form of understanding., each stage forms an organised whole-a qualitatively different pattern of moral understanding that is applied across all situations, and that moral maturity is achieved through biological maturation, disequilibrium, and gains in perspective taking. The first level is known as the pre-conventional level where children accept the rules of authority figures and judge actions by their consequences; actions that result in punishments are bad and those that bring rewards are good. Stage 1 of this level is the punishment and obedience orientation where this style of morality ignores the intentions behind a behaviour and focuses on obeying rules that enforced by punishment. The second stage to this level is the instrumental purpose orientation where children...
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...Developmental Theory Analysis DEP2004 16 September 2014 Developmental Theory Analysis Moral development is an aspect of a person’s overall development that occurs over the course of a lifetime. There have been a number of theories that describe how and when moral development occurs in individuals; however, a theory that has become well known and widely accepted in the field of student affairs as well as psychology is Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Lawrence Kohlberg was a developmental theorist of the mid-twentieth century who is best known for his specific and detailed theory of children's moral development. His work continues to be influential today and contemporary research has generally supported his theory. He believed his stages of moral development to be universal. This paper explores the strengths, weaknesses, and research of what others had to say about this theory. The many strengths of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development include when a person reaches adulthood, they should have a good idea about the personal and social behavior. It also examines the ability to test and individual where they are in their moral development along with offering a structure for creating “just communities,” both within and outside of student affairs. It also focuses on educating young adults and their sense of intellectual and moral development. There are also several weaknesses to Kohlberg’s theory. One states...
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...Freud Psychosexual Development In Freudian psychology, psychosexual development is a central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory, that human beings, from birth, possess an instinctual libido (sexual energy) that develops in five stages. Each stage – the oral, the anal, thephallic, the latent, and the genital – is characterized by the erogenous zone that is the source of the libidinal drive. Sigmund Freud proposed that if the child experienced sexual frustration in relation to any psychosexual developmental stage, he or she would experience anxiety that would persist into adulthood as a neurosis, a functional mental disorder. Stages of Development Stage | Age Range | Erogenous zone | Consequences of psychologic fixation | Oral | Birth–1 year | Mouth | Orally aggressive: chewing gum and the ends of pencils, etc. Orally Passive: smoking, eating, kissing, oral sexual practices[4] Oral stage fixation might result in a passive, gullible, immature, manipulativepersonality. | Anal | 1–3 years | Bowel and bladderelimination | Anal retentive: Obsessively organized, or excessively neat Anal expulsive: reckless, careless, defiant, disorganized, coprophiliac | Phallic | 3–6 years | Genitalia | Oedipus complex (in boys and girls); according to Sigmund Freud.Electra complex (in girls); according to Carl Jung. | Latency | 6–puberty | Dormant sexual feelings | Sexual unfulfillment if fixation occurs in this stage. | Genital | Puberty–death | Sexual interests mature...
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...The dispute between Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan influenced the subject of moral development following Gilligan’s 1982 book, “In a Different Voice,” one of the first to question male-centered psychological research. The distinction between Kohlberg and Gilligan comes down to whether males and females define “morality” differently. Men focusing on justice concerns, according to Kohlberg, and females more focused on caring and relationship needs, according to Gilligan. Theories on how people grow morally became the center of attention of psychology when Jean Piaget first studied how people's reasoning and logical skills evolve throughout their lifetime. Kohlberg liked Piaget’s approach and his next step was to perform research studies in the 1960s, he used the concluding data to develop a model of six “universal” stages through which individuals develop morally. By the late 1970s, his representation of moral development was the dominant view. But females constantly achieved Stage 3 when tested with his model, while men constantly scored at Stages 4 and 5. Gilligan, an old- student of Kohlberg’s, observed that the research and data was based off of tests performed on boys only, and argued whether women were really “morally inferior,” as test scores suggested. So, putting together her own research, she created an alternative model. The dispute mainly focuses around Gilligan’s statement that female psychology and values, including how women come to define morality, contrast...
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...Empirically-Based Theories Cognitive development is a big part of a child's psychology that deals with how he are she thinks. Cognitive development suggests how a child gains and process information at particular states of their lives and how those mechanisms of learning evolve and change over periods of time. Jean Piaget is well known for his theory on Cognitive development. Piaget theory suggested that cognitive development is broken down in four stages. The first stage is the sensori-motor accrues from birth-2yrs. In the stages a child differentiates themselves from objects, recognizes self as a being that can take action and starts to act in an intentional manner. The second stage is pre-operational 2-7yrs. In this stage, a child develops the ability to use language and represent objects by words and images. The thinking of a child is somewhat egocentric. They have many difficulties understandings other viewpoints. The third stage is concrete operational, 7-11yrs. In this stage the child can think logical about objects and events. They are able to associate ages with weight. They also have the ability to classify objects according to sizes and patterns. The fourth stage is formal operation, 11yrs and up. In this stage, the child can think logical about abstracts propositions and test hypotheses systemically. They also are able to Hypotheses about future events and ideological issues. Although Piaget theory continues to be challenged, they have also been researched and proven...
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...Cognitive Development in Early Childhood Early childhood is not only a period of amazing physical growth, it is also a time of remarkable mental development. Cognitive abilities associated with memory, reasoning, problem-solving and thinking continue to emerge throughout childhood. When it comes to childhood cognitive development, it would be impossible to avoid mentioning the work of psychologist Jean Piaget. After receiving his doctoral degree at age 22, Jean Piaget began a career that would have a profound impact on both psychology and education. Through his work with Alfred Binet, Piaget developed an interest in the intellectual development of children. Based upon his observations, he concluded that children are not less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently. Albert Einstein called Piaget's discovery "so simple only a genius could have thought of it."Piaget created a theory of cognitive development that described the basic stages that children go through as they mentally mature. He believed that children are like "little scientists," actively trying to make sense of the world rather than simply soaking up information passively. Schemas One of the key concepts in Piaget's theory is the use of schemas. According to Piaget,schemas are cognitive frameworks or concepts that help people organize and interpret information. As experiences happen, this new information is used to modify, add to or completely change previously existing schemas. For example, a young...
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...LAWRENCE KOHLBERG : Theory of Moral Development Objective * To know what are the stages of Kohlberg Theory and accurately apply it to specific moral issues WHO IS LAWRENCE KOHLBERG * Professor at Harvard University * He started as a developmental psychologist and then moved to the field of Moral Education. He was particularly well-known for his theory of moral development which he popularized through research studies conducted at Harvard’s Center for Moral Education. * His theory of moral development was dependent on the thinking of the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and American Philisopher John Dewey. * He was also inspired by James Mark Baldwin. These men had emphasizes that human beings develop philosophically and psychologically in a progressive fashion. * Kohlberg believed… and was able to demonstrate through studies that people progressed in their moral reasoning through a series of stages. He believed that there were six ( 6 ) identifiable stages which could be more generally classified into 3 levels. WHAT IS MORAL DEVELOPMENT? * Moral development involves thoughts, feelings and behavior regarding standards of right and wrong. * Consist of intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions Heinz Dilemma Heinz’s wife was dying from a particular type of cancer. Doctors said a new drug might save her. The drug had been discovered by a local chemist and the Heinz tried desperately to buy some, but the chemist was charging ten times the money...
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...more pragmatic approach. They review research designed to evaluate Kohlberg’s model, describe how they revised the model to accommodate discrepant findings, and explain why they concluded that it is poorly equipped to account for the ways in which people make moral decisions in their everyday lives. The authors outline in 11 propositions a framework for a new approach that is more attentive to the purposes that people use morality to achieve. People make moral judgments and engage in moral behaviors to induce themselves and others to uphold systems of cooperative exchange that help them achieve their goals and advance their interests. Keywords: moral development, cognitive development, cooperation, moral judgment After two decades of research on Kohlberg’s (1984) cognitive– developmental model of morality, we abandoned it in favor of a more pragmatic approach. In this article, we explain why. We identify problems with Kohlberg’s model, describe revisions aimed at solving them, and offer reasons why a new approach is necessary. We end with a new beginning, introducing a more pragmatic approach in a set of propositions that, we argue, is better equipped than Kohlberg’s model to account for the ways in which people make moral decisions in their everyday lives. This approach rests on the assumption that individuals invoke a variety of affectively and cognitively-based strategies to pursue goals and advance their...
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