Moral Development of Children 0-8 Years The purpose of this essay is to identify methods in which parents can teach children to develop moral thoughts and behavior that is appropriate for our society. A background will be presented to set the foundation for this discussion. The researcher will apply these methods to children from 0-8 years of age based on literature from experts in the field. A summary will conclude the essay.
Background
Berkowitz and Grych (1998) stated, “Moral development of children has long been ascribed predominantly to the effects of parenting” (p. 1). In terms of parental responsibilities, the development of children’s appropriate thoughts and action in society has been addressed
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For example, the concepts of moral development involve four factors, which include (a) social orientation, (b) self-control, (c) compliance, and (d) self-esteem. The social orientation describes a concern for others. From a parental perspective, the social aspect of moral development begins with a bond that must be established at an early age (Berkowitz & Grych, 1998). In this case, parents must interact with their children socially for a positive outcome. A child’s self-control develops between five and six years old. The parental aspect of self-control is an ongoing and intricate process, based on the child’s level of maturity with consistent guidance (Berkowitz & Grych, 1998). Children oftentimes develop compliance skills as early as 18 months of age. The term compliance describes the aspect of morality, in which a child adheres to different levels of control. The parent’s own behavior influences a child’s compliance. Children frequently model their parent’s behavior. Thus, a correlation exists between a parent’s negotiation skills and positive reinforcement that result in a child’s higher level of compliance (Berkowitz & Grych, 1998). Self-esteem is essential for mental health into adulthood. Too little self-esteem may cause depression and anxiety, while too much self-esteem may result in dysfunctional behavior. Parents can encourage a child’s self-esteem through acceptance, allowing children to express themselves, and showing respect toward their children (Berkowitz & Grych,
guilt (3-5 yrs.), adults are seen as examples in regards to how a child should engage in society (Stevens, 1983, p. 47). As children learn that they can do things like adults it is essential that parents reassure their children through positive "support"; if the child does not receive positive support in activities of choice, guilt may form as a result (Table 9.1. Comparison of Freudian and Eriksonian Stages of Development, 2014, p. 1). Children in this stage also begin to ask for what they want, this helps children in their ability to make decisions later on in life. If the child learns to take initiative, a sense of purpose will form in the child (Erikson, 1964, p.
The most successful way to instill righteous and moral behavior and thoughts is by demonstrating our respectable interactions and honest problem solving approaches during difficult times of our lives. “As adults we should dare to be adults that we want our children to be”. They learn by watching and are quick to mimic our behavior with their peers outside of home. The author writes that “we should strive to raise children who: engage with the world from a place of worthiness, embrace their vulnerabilities and imperfections, feel a deep sense of love and compassion for themselves and others, value hard work, perseverance, and respect, and also move through our rapidly changing world with courage and a resilient spirit” (214, 218-219). All of these elements will help to transform the way we live, love, and
The first six years of a child’s life is a window of opportunity when a child unquestionably accepts the virtues modeled by his or her parents (“8 Ways to Raise a Moral Child | Ask Dr. Sears”). In their first few years, children believe that their behaviors are right or wrong according to what a parent tells them. By five years old, a child begins to adopt their parent’s values, whether they are noble or not. Merseault’s childhoo...
Morality, which is one’s general standards about right and wrong behavior, also includes prosocial behavior and other traits such as honesty, fairness, and concern about other people’s rights and welfare (Omrod, 2014). Both morality and prosocial behavior involve multiple parts of the brain, emotions and complex reasoning abilities. Some age-typical characteristics for preschool aged children include, some understanding that behaviors causing physical or psychological harm are morally wrong, a sense of guilt and shame about misbehaviors that cause harm to others, also display empathy and sympathy, and children at this age also show an appreciation for the need to be fair.
Some very good ways to instill proper morals into children is to be a positive role model from the very beginning to them. Take the time out to show them what is considered right and what is considered wrong. Some methods of teaching children good and positive morals are being lost in this modern day and age, such as going to church, or sitting down together and sharing a meal. Why is this happening? Simple, parents of today are forced into having both parents work because it is no longer a one-paycheck life style. Mother's once were able to stay at home and tend to the family...
There are certain characteristics of parents who influence their children’s moral behavior. The first characteristic are warm and supportive parents, parents who also involve their children in family decisions, parents who models morally thinking and behavior, and finally parents who inform their children of what behaviors are acceptable, expected and reasoning behind. An example of these parents’ characteristics’ can be when a child is upset because their sibling has taken their toy from them. A parent with the above characteristics will talk to the children on their level, ask open-ended questions, and talk about solutions for their issue. The parent will also voice own opinion on what is the acceptable thing to do, and explain why that is. These four characteristics are sort of strategies’ that are excellent for parents to utilize in order to foster their children’s moral development. Parents who are warm and supportive tend to have a secure attachment to their children which is the base for creating a positive parent-child relationship, without that, parents cannot model behavior to the child, as the child will not trust in the parent. By being an informative parent with reasoning, parents teach their children positive socializing and thus an appropriate positive moral behavior. They also provide
At a very young age, children are exposed to values before they gain the ability to reason effectively and to think critically. Whenever they misbehave, their parents correct their behaviors by means of punishment. Therefore, a misbehaved child will associate their wrongdoings with a negative emotion, deterring them from performing the punished behavior. They also learn morality by absorbing the emotions of those around them in their environment, and as a result, their feelings and behaviors are shaped by what they observe. Additionally, individuals introspect their feelings to decide whether or not their actions are considered moral. If an action makes the individual feel guilty, then he or she will conclude that it is wrong. This could not
The moral development of children can depend on many factors. Parenting and upbringing of the child, their environment, social environment, gender, and race are all aspects that can contribute to how a child develops their moral standards and expectations. Many psychologist have tried for several years to develop a theory to how morality is developed. One in particular is Lawrence Kohlberg (1958), his moral development theory is based on the cognitive development of children and it is thought that moral development proceeds and changes as cognitive development occurs (Arnett, 2012). Kohlberg’s moral development theory consist of 3 different levels each containing 2 stages altogether making 6 stages of moral development, as Kohlberg conducted
One of the most persistently asked and perpetually unanswered questions in psychology is the question of morality. What is it, how does it develop, and where does it come from? A basic definition of morality is “beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior” (Merriam-Webster). Based on the definition, the question then becomes even more complicated; How do people decide what is right and what is wrong? Research has examined this from many different angles, and two distinct schools of thought have emerged. One centers on the Lockian idea of children as blank slates who must be taught the difference between right and wrong and what it means to be moral, while the other espouses a more Chomskian perspective of a preset system of basic rules and guidelines that needs only to be activated. So what does this mean for humans and humanity? Are we born tabula rasa or are we born with an innate sense of good and evil? For those researching this topic, the question then becomes how to most effectively theorize, experiment and interpret human morality.
A fellow citizen is irked by the kids who tramp down the grass as they cut across the lawn of her family's new home. She gets even more steamed when she fears chastising those teenage trespassers, because trouble may ensue. She also fumes over a kid punching loaves of bread in the supermarket and over his mother spewing expletives when a stranger suggests he stop (Healy). Something has gone very wrong to cause such a poor appearance in the character of today's youth. Teaching morals in public school could only result in the betterment of our society.
Proper socialization as an infant has long lasting effects on an individual well into adulthood. Sociality in the form of bonding with one’s mother, friendships or just mental stimulation from sound and touch can help form a person’s personality and determine their moral attitude. Morality correlates to empathy because empathy gives someone the ability to relate to how another is feeling, which in turn could help someone determine what is considered right and wrong. Empathy is associated with being responsible for someone’s ability to make socially acceptable decisions and exhibit moral behavior. When someone is lacking empathy or has been socially stunted such as the case of the Romanian orphans, it is believed that they are more capable of doing immoral things such as stealing, lying and cheating. What is morally acceptable
As children age they experience a great deal of variance in their abilities related to the numerous aspects of life functioning (Robbins, Chaterjee, & Canda, 2012, p. 260-296). One aspect of functioning is that of moral reasoning. Throughout a person’s childhood, moral skills develop in relating to others and their surroundings. Moral development has been a popular topic of study for many years. Some theorists have developed tools to measure moral functioning. In order know the accuracy of these tools, experiments must be designed and implemented to test hypotheses and findings.
Lawrence Kohlberg conducted research on the moral development of children. He wanted to understand how they develop a sense of right or wrong and how justice is served. Kohlberg used surveys in which he included moral dilemmas where he asked the subjects to evaluate a moral conflict. Through his studies, Kohlberg observed that moral growth and development precedes through stages such as those of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. 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. The stages of thought processing, implying qualitatively different modes of thinking and of problem solving are included in the three levels of pre-conventional, conventional and post conventional development. (2)
Kohlberg identified that moral reasoning comes in more stages and does not develop fully till after ages ten to eleven. He conceptualizes the sequential cognitive and developmental process of moral reasoning in children (Goldstein et. al, 2011, p. 860). The ways that children interpret their rights relates to reasoning linked to their developmental and moral development during certain ages (Peens & Louw, 2000, p. 351). Kohlberg explains that his stages emerge from a child’s growth in thinking about moral problems (Peens et al., 2000, p. 353). He believed that children usually goes through three levels of moral develop from pre-conventional to conventional to post-conventional. Within those stages, children usually go through six stages. The pre-conventional level lasts from birth to nine-years-old and during this stage, the child has not fully developed the understanding of right and wrong (Robbins et al., 2011). Most of the rules are set up by the authoritative figure and children follow the rules to avoid punishment. During the stage of obedience and punishment orientation children follow the rules to avoid punishment. The next stage is when children follow rules to earn rewards (Robbins et al., 2011, p. 277). Next, the conventional level ranges from age six through fifteen-year-old where the children start to win approval from others or conforming to the existing social order. The stage of good boy/nice girl orientation comes from children seeking social approval or positive evaluations from others. Consequently, the authority maintaining morality stage happens when children avoid harsh remarks from authoritative figures so they conform to the right actions instead of their own rules (Robbins et al., 2011, p. 277-278). The final post-conventional stage happens from age sixteen and onward. During this stage, children and adults show moral maturity, but Kohlberg believes that
It is very important that at that stage, children are given the opportunity to learn the right morals. Unfortunately, even in this modern era, there are areas in the world where children are influenced to believe in irratinational principles and these ethics carry on into