ECE 015: REVIEWER Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order - This stage is focused on

ensuring that social order is maintained. At this stage of moral

LESSON 3:MORAL DEVELOPMENT development, people begin to consider society as a whole when
making judgments. The focus is on maintaining law and order
KOHLBERG’S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT by following the rules, doing one’s duty, and respecting authority.
Lawrence Kohlberg
● Professor of Education and Social Psychology at Harvard Level 3: Post Conventional
University ● At this level of moral development, people develop an
● He began as a developmental psychologist and then moved to understanding of abstract principles of morality. Stage 5: Social
the field of education. Contract and Individual Rights - The ideas of a social contract
● He was particularly well known for his theory of moral and individual rights cause people in the next stage to begin to
development which he developed through his extensive account for the differing values, opinions, and beliefs of other
research on the topic at Harvard people. Rules of law are important for maintaining a society, but
● Kohlberg's theory of moral development is a theory that focuses members of the society should agree upon these standards.
on how children develop morality and moral reasoning. Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles Orientation - Kohlberg’s
Kohlberg's theory suggests that moral development occurs in a final level of moral reasoning is based on universal ethical
series of six stages and that moral logic is primarily focused on principles and abstract reasoning. At this stage, people follow
seeking and maintaining justice. these internalized principles of justice, even if they conflict with
laws and rules.
What is Moral Development?
● Moral development is the process by which people develop the Application of Kohlberg’s Theory
distinction between right and wrong (morality) and engage in ● Teachers and other educators can also apply Kohlberg's theory
reasoning between the two (moral reasoning). in the classroom, providing additional moral guidance.
● A kindergarten teacher could help enhance moral development
Stages of Moral Development? by setting clear rules for the classroom, and the consequences
● Kohlberg's theory is broken down into three primary levels. At for violating them. This helps kids at stage one of moral
each level of moral development, there are two stages. Similar development.
to how Piaget believed that not all people reach the highest ● A teacher in high school might focus more on the development
levels of cognitive development, Kohlberg believed not everyone that occurs in stage three (developing good interpersonal
progresses to the highest stages of moral development. relationships) and stage four (maintaining social order).

Level 1: Pre-Conventional How do children learn in the moral domain?

● Preconventional morality is the earliest period of moral 5 Stages of Moral Growth of Children
development. It lasts until around the age of 9. At this age, ● Children go through moral development stages, yet unlike
children's decisions are primarily shaped by the expectations of physical growth, moral growth doesn’t happen without some
adults and the consequences of breaking the rules. There are input from parents. To develop into a morally solid person, a
two stages within this level: child must be given a solid foundation at each stage.
Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment - The earliest stages of
moral development, obedience and punishment are especially Stage 1: Infancy - The moral growth of children starts at infancy. An
common in young children, but adults are also capable of infant does not have the capacity to moralize, other than having a sense
expressing this type of reasoning. According to Kohlberg, of rightness or wrongness as those feelings apply to himself. After being
people at this stage see rules as fixed and absolute. Obeying nurtured in the womb for nine months, a baby enters the world, expecting
the rules is important because it is a way to avoid punishment. that nurturing will continue. Never having been hungry, the baby
Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange - At the individualism and concludes that hunger is wrong; it hurts.
exchange stage of moral development, children account for
individual points of view and judge actions based on how they Stage 2: Toddlerhood - During this stage of moral growth, children’s
serve individual needs. sense of “otherness” begins. Toddlers learn that others share their world;
Reciprocity is possible at this point in moral development, but others have needs and rights, too. The house he lives in has “rules” that
only if it serves one's own interests. he must learn to live by, which is frustrating. The child does not yet have
the ability to judge something as “right” or “wrong.”
Level 2: Conventional
● The next period of moral development is marked by the Stage 3: Preschoolers (3 to 7 years) - A major turning point in moral
acceptance of social rules regarding what is good and moral. growth and development in children occurs: the child begins to
During this time, adolescents and adults internalize the moral internalize family values. What’s important to the parents becomes
standards they have learned from their role models and from important to him. The six-year-old may say to a friend, “In our family, we
society. do…” These are the child’s norms. Once these norms are incorporated in
Stage 3: Developing Good Interpersonal Relationships - Often a child’s self, the child’s behavior can be directed by these inner rules —
referred to as the "good boy-good girl" orientation, this stage of of course, with frequent reminding and reinforcing from parents.
the interpersonal relationship of moral development is focused
on living up to social expectations and roles. There is an Stage 4: Seven to Ten Years - Authority is not threatening to the child but
emphasis on conformity, being "nice," and consideration of how necessary for social living. They believe that children should obey their
choices influence relationships. parents. And, school-age children believe that if they break a rule, they
should be corrected. This strong sense of “should do” and “should not H. Intrapersonal Influences - Moral questions tend to be emotionally
do” sets some children up to tattle. charged issues that evoke strong affective responses. Consequently,
- The moral growth of children ages seven-to-ten-year-olds has a strong emotions likely play an important role in moral development.
sense of fairness, understands the necessity of rules, and wants to
participate in making the rules. They begin to believe that children have What is Moral Community?
opinions too, and they begin to sort out which values profit them most — ● The moral community is characterized by social integration
a sort of “what’s in it for me” stage. (extensive and intimate attachments) and by moral integration
(a set of shared beliefs about morality and behaviour). In
Stage 5: Preteens and Teens - This child is more capable of abstract modern usage, any small group with these qualities, such as a
reasoning about moral values and becomes interested in what’s good for religious sect or military unit, may be termed a moral
society. During this stage of moral growth, children may view parents community.
more as consultants than as powerful authority figures. ● The idea that the community of which one is a member is a
moral community is appealing, though most likely relative to
What can adults do to influence moral development? one’s standards of reference, unpersuasive to others, or even
● Like most aspects of development, influencing factors are hopelessly vague, such as notions of the moral community of all
multifaceted. Moral development is strongly influenced by living creatures or all God’s children.
interpersonal factors, such as family, peers, and culture. ● The term “moral community” can be used descriptively to
Intrapersonal factors also impact moral development, such as indicate a community believed actually to exist, or deployed as
cognitive changes, emotions, and even neurodevelopment. an aspiration, pointing to a type of community believed by some
to be morally good, to have a quality of moral goodness to
A. Interpersonal Influence - Researchers have addressed the influence of which we ought to aim. In both cases, there is a defining
interpersonal interactions on children’s moral development from two normative component.
primary perspectives: socialization/internalization (Grusec & Goodnow,
1994; Kochanska & Askan, 1995; Kochanska, Askan, & Koenig, 1995) and
social domain theory (Turiel, 1983; Smetana 2006).
Research from the social domain theory perspective focuses on how
children actively distinguish moral from conventional behavior based in
part based on the responses of parents, teachers, and peers (Smetana,
1997).
B. Moral Development in the Family -In the formation of children’s
morals, no outside influence is greater than that of the family. Through
punishment, reinforcement, and both direct and indirect teaching,
families instill morals in children and help them to develop beliefs that
reflect the values of their culture.
C. Justice - Families establish rules for right and wrong behavior, which
are maintained through positive reinforcement and punishment. Positive
reinforcement is the reward for good behavior and helps children learn
that certain actions are encouraged above others. Punishment, by
contrast, helps to deter children from engaging in bad behaviors, and
from an early age helps children to understand that actions have
consequences.
D. Fairness - Families set boundaries on the distribution of resources,
such as food and living spaces, and allow members different privileges
based on age, gender, and employment. The way in which a family
determines what is fair affects children’s development of ideas about
rights and entitlements, and also influences their notions of sharing,
reciprocity, and respect
E. Personal Balance - By placing limits on their desires, children benefit
from a greater sense of love, security, and shared identity. At the same
time, this connectedness helps children to refine their own moral system
by providing them with a reference for understanding right and wrong.
F. Social Roles - Children learn the value of social support from their
families and develop motivations based on kindness, generosity, and
empathy, rather than on only personal needs and desires. By learning to
care for the interests and well-being of their family, children develop
concern for society as a whole.
G. Morality and Culture - The expectation is that if morality exists, it has
to do with those values that are generalizable across groups and
cultures. Alternatively, relativistic cultural positions have been put forth
mostly by socialization theories that focus on how cultures transmit
values rather than what values are applied across groups and individuals.