The question is how do people develop morality? One of the best-know theories explores this basic question was develop by a psychologist name Lawrence Kohlberg. His work expanded on Jean Piaget’s previous theory that explained children developed moral reasoning in a 2stage process. While Kohlberg theory of moral development outline six stages within three different level. The first level is Preconvention Morality this is the earliest stage of moral development, which includes obedience and punishment. It is especially common in young children, because children see rules a solid. For them Obeying the rules is important because it means they will avoid punishment. Within preconvention level there are 2 stages Obedience and Punishment that is behavior that is driven by avoiding punishment. The other stage is Individual interest behavior or that is driven by self-interest and rewards. (Snarey, n.d.) …show more content…
Individuals also understand that they are part of a larger society that has established values, norms and beliefs that should dictate their moral behavior. While conventions moral is focused on decision making based on good principles, there are two stages of conventional morality. The first stage is interpersonal which is behavior that is driven by social approval. The second stage is authority in which behavior is driven by obeying authority and conform to the social order. (Snarey, n.d.)
The third level is Post-Conventional Morality is classified as the stage of morality in which people have set their own morals and act according to those morals. Post conventional ...
First stage is social contract in which behavior is driven by balance of social order and individual’s rights. The second stage are universal ethics which is behavior driven by internal moral principles (Snarey, n.d.)
How Development
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development shows the different stages of morality as people change as they get older (McLeod). He had three levels which broke down his stages
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.
Social Norms are the third source from which someone’s values and beliefs are drawn from (Warner, 2002, p. 6). These are behavioral expectations that society has for individuals (Warner, 2002, p. 6). Social norms influence things like how a person smells, what they read, etc.
The third stage occurs in the age of three to six years, and the main theme of this stage is initiative against guilt. Initiative, in other words independence, is the natural development for this age. In my country, children learn new things, start to act on their own, and are taken into kindergarten. In this stage, the most important part is the acting on their own, as children start to realize what to do in order to achieve their needs. If they are not encouraged in this exploration, they may become people who are ashamed of their
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
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.
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 psychologists have tried for several years to develop a theory of 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).
The quest for adventure and freedom is not always resolved with newly obtained knowledge and happiness, but sometimes instead, with danger and uncertainty. While wings give you the freedom to fly to beautiful and newfound places, it also gives you the freedom to fly into danger. In awe and disbelief of one’s new surroundings, one might come to close to something that could be hazardous for oneself, which occurred to both Montag, in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Icarus, in the Myth of Icarus. These two characters are very similar in this regard, and in Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury compared the two using an allusion to the Myth of Icarus. This allusion was stated as, “Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he’s burnt his damn wings,
Ethical, Legal, and Sociocultural It is important to obtain informed consent from each client. Health care providers must consider that the client had the capacity to make decisions, provides voluntary consent, and understands the treatment for which consent was given. Interacting with the clients and their families is another consideration to think about when to treating the client. Professional will need to ensure that no harm occurs during treatment and information need for their client's treatment plan.
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)
Nisan, M. (1987). Moral norms and social conventions: A cross-cultural comparison. Developmental Psychology, 23(5), 719-725.
Kohlberg, L. (1984). The psychology of moral development: the nature and validity of moral stages. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
The Level of Moral Rules: This is just the beginning. The responses at this level are often built upon moral rules we have learned from friends, family, peers and experiences. Decisions on how to handle the situation are then narrowed down one by one based on what we feel is the best way to control our own personal moral bank .
The obedience and punishment orientation is the earliest stage of moral development and is also very common in young children; however, adults are also capable of expressing this stage of reasoning. In this stage, young children perceive rules to be fixed and absolute and that obeying them is a necessary means to avoid punishment (McLeod, S.A., 2013). The individualism and exchange orientation is the second stage of pre-conventional morality. At this stage, children take into account individual points of view and judge their actions based on how they serve individual needs (Cherry, K., 2014, October
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.