...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 with our growth , our ideas of right and wrong change based on the cognitive level that an individual happens to be in. Kohlberg created three levels with 6 stages that are not all experienced by all throughout their lifespan. The three levels are defined as:(1) the Pre-Conventional Morality Level, (2) the...
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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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...The theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behaviour has six identifiable developmental stages which are grouped into 3 levels namely pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Based on this theory, once a person has progressed into the higher stage, it is extremely rare for him/her to regress backward in stages to lose functionality of higher stage abilities. Furthermore, stages are cannot be skipped; each provides a new and necessary perspective, more comprehensive and differentiated than its predecessors but integrated with them. However, it says that no one functions at their highest stage at all the time. Level 1 (pre-conventional Moral value resides in a person’s own needs and wants which implies the lack of perspective of society. Morality of an action is judged by its direct consequences to that person. Stage 1 (obedience and punishment driven) Sticking to rules to avoid punishment. Individuals focus on direct consequences that their actions will have for themselves. An action is considered as immoral if the person who commits it gets punished. More punishment, more bad it is. Stage 2(self interest driven) Person's moral judgement is motivated by a need to satisfy own desires. Right behaviour being defined by what is in one’s own best interest. Follow rules on when it is in your immediate interest. Limited interest in needs of others, but only to a point where it might further one’s own interest. Concern for others is not based on...
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...On Kohlberg’s scale, I consider myself to be on the conventional level, Level II. I can say that I still react to my family’s expectations. Not so much of my peers, because I’ve learned that everyone have their personal opinions to everything. Sometimes, even unsolicited advices are given, I don’t intend to be rude to them in any way, therefore, I take it as creative criticism. These things happen all the time. I do conform to the norms that I learned at home and in school, not so much from the church though because I have not been an active member for some time now. I do understand the moral norms and rules and how they must be followed. Growing up, family played a significant role in my life. I can truly say that I am who I am today because of them. I was taught that for as long as I live the right way, not hurting anyone along the way, and being thankful for what I have, I will be happy. There were times that I have made the wrong choices, but for the most part, I didn’t forget my parent’s teachings. For instance, getting in trouble with the law for fighting or being disruptive, I eventually grew out of it and learned that maybe violence is not the way to do things. For the most part, having a decent conversation or as simple as talking about the problem will eventually solve the misunderstanding and everything can end well. I don’t see myself on the third level only because I haven’t come to the point where I question why things are the way they are. I know the difference...
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...Lawrence Kohlberg laid the groundwork for the current debate within psychology on moral development. He proposed that children form ways of thinking through their experiences which include understandings of moral concepts such as justice, rights, equality and human welfare. Kohlberg followed the development of moral judgment beyond the ages. He determined that the process of attaining moral maturity took longer and was more gradual than other studies have shown. Kohlberg identified six stages of moral grouped into three major levels. Each level represented a fundamental shift in the social-moral perspective of the individual. At the first level, the preconventional level, a person's moral judgments are characterized by a individual perspective. Within this level, a Stage 1 they focused on avoiding breaking rules that are backed by punishment, obedience for its own sake and avoiding the physical consequences of an action to persons and property. At Stage 2 there is the early emergence of moral reciprocity. The Stage 2 focused on the value of an action. Reciprocity is of the form, "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." The Golden Rule becomes, "If someone hits you, you hit them back." At Stage 2 one follows the rules only when it is to someone's immediate interests. What is right is what's fair in the sense of an equal exchange, a deal, an agreement. At Stage 2 there is an understanding that everybody has his own interest to pursue and these conflict, so that right is...
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...justify her argument? How does her theory of moral reasoning relate to Erikson’s ideas about the relationship between autonomy and intimacy? Finally, in your own upbringing, were interdependence/empathy or independence/autonomy emphasized more? At what ages (be specific with at least one example)? Did the focus change as you grew older? Was it different in your family depending on your gender? What perspective would you try to emphasize with your own (perhaps hypothetical) children? Would it be different for different genders? This last set of questions is asking for your opinion about these issues in moral reasoning and there is not a correct answer, but you should engage the course readings in your responses. • Lawrence Kohlberg (1969) theory of moral development outlined a six-stage process within three levels. Kohlberg’s studies were not as age-dependent. Stages are: Pre-conventional; usually exhibited in children who have not yet realized what is right or wrong according to society’s conventions. Conventional; This level of moral development is more typical of adolescents and adults, and therefore their moral actions are often based upon how society expects them to act in a particular situation. Lastly, Post-conventional; An abstract way of looking at reality. Carol Gilligan (1982) theorized women use ethic of care while reasoning out moral dilemmas while men use ethic of justice. The study was to investigate the difference between men and women in the use of...
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...us an art activity we would be overwhelmed and hyper and would start being creative. Early one morning I was working on my mother's day card, feeling artistic and excited as usual. I ran towards the teacher with an open paint bottle, tripping on a block house that Kaity had made. I couldn't remember as much as my Katiy did, but I knew my teacher was very upset, therefor I did get punished. The look she gave me was dreadful, I couldn't imagine how I felt as I was getting in trouble. On the bright side I have learned a lot to do with patience, and of course to not run in the class. The dilemma that I had faced could be very relatable to Lawrence Kohlberg's moral stages of development. Stage One is the Punishment and Obedience stage. Kohlberg briefly explains how the physical consequences determine the goodness or badness of an act. An example would be my dilemma. When I tripped and threw the paint out of my hands, I got a punishment from my teacher which effected me drastically. Why? because I was being introduced to goodness and badness...
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...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 levels that Kohlberg studied were level one pre-conventional, level two- conventional, and level three post-conventional. In each of these levels came different stages. Level one came stages one and two. Stage one is obedience and punishment. Stage two is individualism and exchange. Kohlberg believed this level began in the elementary level for...
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...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 a review of psychological and literary sources, she illustrates the feminine construction of reality” (Gilligan, 1982). Her belief is that women or girls develop morality differently than men or boys. A Summary of Kohlberg’s Theory Lawrence Kohlberg created what is known as a theory of six stages of moral development. Within the six stages...
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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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...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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...values on which someone bases their decisions. Theorists have different views on moral reasoning and the factors that contribute to an individual’s level of reasoning capabilities. Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan developed cognitive theories to explain moral reasoning in a series of stages. The movie John Q, raises the question of what is considered morally right and what is wrong and by whose perspective. The characters in the movie can be classified into either Kohlberg’s or Gilligan’s theories of reasoning. Theorist Lawrence Kohlberg (1973) had a qualitative perspective of moral development. His theory breaks development into three levels, each of which is divided further into two stages. The levels consist of: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. These can be loosely correlated with age. He theorized that moral growth begins at the beginning of life and continues until the day one dies. He believed that people proceed through each stage of moral development consecutively without skipping or going back to a previous stage. Level One, the Pre-Conventional level, is the level of moral reasoning based solely on a person’s own needs. The person is ego-centric and does not take into consideration the intention or motivation behind the behavior. Kohlberg theorized that people cannot move past this level until they are past nine years of age, but a person can be caught in this level and never move to the next. Stage one is characterized by punishment...
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...Theorists for Anthro, Scocio, Psyc. 1.Gilligan - Focus on survival, goodness as self-sacrifice and morality of non-violance 2. Piaget's - Child cognitive development Sensorimotor stage The sensorimotor stage is the first of the four stages in cognitive development which "extends from birth to the acquisition of language".[3] "In this stage, infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating experiences (such as seeing and hearing) with physical, motoric actions. Infants gain knowledge of the world from the physical actions they perform on it. An infant progresses from reflexive, instinctual action at birth to the beginning of symbolic thought toward the end of the stage. Piaget divided the sensorimotor stage into six sub-stages"[4]:0–2 years, Infants just have senses-vision, hearing, and motor skills, such as grasping, sucking, and stepping Preoperational stage The Cognitive Development Approaches. By observing sequences of play, Jean Piaget was able to demonstrate that towards the end of the second year, a qualitatively new kind of psychological functioning occurs.[6] (Pre)Operatory Thought is any procedure for mentally acting on objects. The hallmark of the preoperational stage is sparse and logically inadequate mental operations. During this stage, the child learns to use and to represent objects by images, words, and drawings.The child is able to form stable concepts as well as mental reasoning and magical beliefs. The child however is still not able...
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...Lifespan Development and Personality Paper Adolescence, also known as teenage years is a time of dramatic change. Adolescence is a period in one’s life in which major physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes take place. This phase of life marks a developmental period that follows childhood and comes before adulthood. Adolescence is closely associated with puberty, which is also considered as a developmental milestone, particularly in the western countries. Puberty refers to the period of adolescence when a person becomes capable of reproduction (Carpenter, S. & Huffman, K., 2010). In this paper, I will discuss the various factors that affect the physical, cognitive, social, moral, and personality development of adolescents. Adolescence is a time of rapid physical growth which is illustrated by the drastic growth spurt in the height, weight and skeletal muscles. The actual age may vary but generally occurs somewhere between the ages of 12 through 18. This is a critical stage where a child attempts to become independent, wants to establish their identity and there are noticeable changes in their moods and behavior. During this time in the adolescent’s life, the physical development factors are genetics and nutrition. If the child has genetics that hinder on his or her physical development the child will only develop as his DNA allows. If the child does not have proper nutrition, he or she could be underweight or overweight. This is such a crucial stage for advancement...
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...that we are around. Children do not questions these things, they just adjust accordingly. After reading several different definitions on the internet and in the dictionary, moral and social can be broken down very simple, the meaning of moral is knowing right from wrong and social means relating to others. These are very simple explanations to two very simple words, that for the age groups of 6-8 and 13-15 become a very important part of their development as they grow up. I have read many different things about moral and social development while researching for this paper and I have found one website written by a Dr. C Boeree to be very interesting. He writes about the Kohlberg theory on moral development in children, Lawrence Kohlberg is a Psychologist who researched and interviewed many young children to explain the development of moral reasoning, he did this by presenting different moral dilemmas to children and then he interviewed them. The Boeree ( 2009) website uses Kohlberg’s Theory to talk about the stages of moral development in children, this theory is broken down into three different levels and these levels are broken down into six specific stages. The first level is for infants and very young children...
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