Furthermore, Gilligan outlines 3 stages in her moral development. First , female children start out with a selfish orientation, which is only to care for themselves; however it has changed overtime. People tended to change their behavior or actions when they grow up or get old. They also tried to learn not to be selfish, but care and love for others . The second stage of Gilligan's theory is responsibility and carries on to ignoring needs of oneself. She claimed that women typically feel it is wrong to ignore other’s need , but they rather want to help people . This third stage is accepting the principle of care, which is learning the needs of others as well as oneself. According to Carol Gilligan, she argued that “it is just as wrong
In our lifetimes, we meet many people. And, hopefully, with each of them we follow a certain protocol when we first meet them. When one is greeted sweetly, or even sourly, the receiver is expected to graciously accept it and return the favor politely. In other countries, children are taught to show their respect towards elders at all times. Young ones in the Philippines are conditioned to grab an elder’s hand and bring it up to their forehead in a bowing motion, this practice is known as “blessing”. However, no one has ever given a more in depth answer for the reason of these practices other than, “Because you should.”
Scout is a young girl growing up in the south, she is intelligent, thoughtful, and good natured. Her identity is somewhat uncommon during the time she lives in. She is characterized as a tomboy, who doesn’t always act “lady like” or proper by southern standards. Scout most likely became the type of person she is by the care of her father, Atticus. He shapes her mind, while trying to protect her from a dangerous world and preserving her childhood.
Though individuals live by and react similarly to various situations, not all people have the same morals. I can relate to instances where I have supported a belief, regardless of the criticisms that arise, all because my choice is based upon personal morals. The same can be said regarding Debra J. Dickerson as she expresses in her novel, An American Story. In Carol Gilligan’s “Concepts of Self and Morality,” she states, “The moral person is one who helps others; goodness in service, meeting one’s obligations and responsibilities to others, if possible without sacrificing oneself” (170). After considering this statement, I strongly feel that Gilligan’s proposal lacks the depth to accurately characterize the moral person, but I am able to accept the argument raised by Joan Didion. Her essay entitled, “On Morality,” clearly provides a more compelling and acceptable statement in describing the moral person by saying, “I followed my own conscience, I did what I thought was right” (181). Joan Didion’s proposal is precise and acceptable. It is obvious that as long as people follow what they believe is the right thing to do, and approach the situation maturely, their actions can be considered examples of morality, and they can then be considered moral human beings.
(Slide 3). Gilligan argues how women have initiated another way of looking at ethics. Gilligan pointed out that there are two types of moral reasoning’s. Male ethics are of justice and female ethics of care. The ethics of care for women is directed to the respond of the needs of others in complicated situations. This approach mainly involves concepts like having compassion, relationships, and responsibilities. (Slide 18). Ethics of justice thinks that the situation is important in determining how it should be treated. Men base justice on rights, applying the rules to everyone and responsibility goes toward codes of conduct. (Slide 19). Male perspectives are held more publicly and are concrete on rights of law. Women on the other hand perceive things as a private
Eva Tyne is a young, Irish violinist living in New York City. She is a talented and committed musician whose career seems to be kicking off. However, she soon finds herself in a hospital after collapsing in her solo debut with the New Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra. When discharged from the hospital; instead of returning home to her boyfriend, Kryštof, she slumbers at her best friend, Valentina’s, apartment. She subsequently meets a good-looking Latin American man named Daniel in the bar of a hotel and they spend the night together. Shortly after, she meets a dubious -looking Russian immigrant Alexander who offers to sell her a Stradivari violin. He suggests that she goes to his house to see it. She sceptically agrees, and though intoxicated,
Gillian also proposed the “Stages of the Ethics of Care” theory, which addresses what makes our actions right or wrong. Gillian’s theory focused on care-based morality and justice-based morality. Care-based morality is based on the following concepts:
In Kohlbergs moral stages five & six people begin to understand morals and social good then moral reasoning. Basic human rights become important as well as principles.
From her early childhood, Cathy commits crimes unimaginable to any stable individual. She cannot distinguish right from wrong and finds pleasure in cruelty. Steinbeck uses Cathy to display what an innately evil woman truly looks like. He introduces her by explaining how one may be “born without kindness” or “the potential of conscious,” just as one might be born without an arm (95). Cathy Ames happens to be brought into the world with the traits and qualities which drive her to sin all her life. From birth, she differs from others, and uses her differences to shake up the world around her. She comes into the world lacking the capabilities to ever be considered a “normal” woman. Her upbringings did not bring her to this because her parents support her and always want the best for her. Cathy, given everything she wants, possesses no reason to act deceptively; she cannot change. She often resembles an animal, hurting Sam Hamilton the “way a terrier” attacks a sack (253). Cathy even admits she “would rather be a dog” than a human (321). Over time, as her craving for power and domination increases, she becomes more monstrous and almost inhuman.
No single development theory satisfactorily explains behavior; however, a more comprehensive picture of child development emerges when Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is integrated with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development identifies four stages of development associated with age (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs “posited a hierarchy of human needs based on two groupings: deficiency needs and growth needs” (Huitt, 2007). Comparatively, both theories argue that humans need a series of environmental and psychological support to meet our needs. Integrated, these two theories together enable teachers to understand which stage of development students are at and to create teaching
The book To Kill a Mockingbird is an award-winning coming of age novel which focuses on Southern life during the Great Depression. It begins with two kids curious about a man named Boo Radley progressing towards a trial which saw Atticus defending a black man. It is a great example of moral growth especially for Jem Finch (Jeremy Atticus Finch). From a ten-year-old to a 13-year-old, Jem goes through one of his most important transitions in life from a child to a teenager. During this process, his morals drastically change more than any other character in the novel. A + B + C, D + E
An ethical dilemma is an incident that will cause us to question how we should react based on our moral beliefs. A decision needs to be made between what is right or wrong, just or unjust. I have experienced many ethical dilemmas in my lifetime, and I know that there is no such thing as an ethical dilemma that only affects one person. Some ethical dilemmas are easier to resolve than others. The easy ones are the ones in which we can make decisions on the spot. For example, if a cashier gives me too much change, I can immediately make a decision to either return the money or keep it. Because I was grew up in a Christian home where we lived by the “Golden Rule” there is no way I could have kept the money. Based on Kant’s, categorical imperative there are two criteria for determining moral right and wrong. First, there is universalizability, which states, “the person’s reasons for acting must be reasons that everyone could act on at least in principle” (Velasquez, 2006, p. 79). Next there is reversibility that states “the person’s reasons for acting must be reasons that he or she would be willing to have all others use, even as a basis of how they treat him or her” (Velasquez, 2006, p. 79). One of the three principles Kidder (1995) recommends for resolving dilemmas is “Do what you want others to do to you” (p.25). The decision to return the money is consistent with these principles and similar to the “Golden Rule”. I will discuss the dilemma, how it affected me, and how I made a decision I could live with.
In the beginning of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem Finch acted immature; however, he began to demonstrate characteristics of a sophisticated young man as the story progressed. This novel follows the Finch children as they grow up in a prejudice town. It focuses on their moral development as they grow older. The themes of the book have made this novel a classic, which is why it is read in schools all across the country. In a town like Maycomb, where racism and wealth are used to define a person, Jem and Scout develop their own set of values to realize that judgement is not based on physical appearance, social status, or money.
At the pre-conventional level, behavior is motivated by anticipation of pleasure or pain. The child is aware of cultural rules and labels of good or bad and right or wrong. (1) The subject interprets the labels in terms of the physical consequence, such as punishment or reward. (3) The child has an extreme self-interest. The first level of moral thinking is generally found at the elementary school level, before the age of 9. This level is divided into the following two stages. (2)
A person's ability to develop is due to two factors, maturation and learning. Although maturation, or the biological development of genes, is important, it is the learning - the process through which we develop through our experiences, which make us who we are (Shaffer, 8). In pre-modern times, a child was not treated like they are today. The child was dressed like and worked along side adults, in hope that they would become them, yet more modern times the child's need to play and be treated differently than adults has become recognized. Along with these notions of pre-modern children and their developmental skills came the ideas of original sin and innate purity. These philosophical ideas about children were the views that children were either born "good" or "bad" and that these were the basis for what would come of their life.
Kohlberg, L. (1984). The psychology of moral development: the nature and validity of moral stages. San Francisco: Harper & Row.