How Is

MORAL
CHARACTE
R
 Moral
Character and
It’s
• Moral is concerned with the principle of right and wrong

Development
behavior or the goodness and badness of the human
character

• Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities

distinct to an individual

• Moral character refers to the existence or lack of

virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty,
and loyalty.

• Development of moral character can be explained

by the following approaches: virtues, disposition, and
circular relations o facts and character, and theoretical
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 Moral
Character
a n d Vi r t u e
 Virtue
• Virtue for Greek is equivalent to
excellence.

• A person of virtue is someone who

performs the distinctive activity being
human well.

• The principle of being virtuous is called

“Doctrine of the Golden Men” - that
moral behavior is the one is in the
middle of two extreme behaviors.
 Virtue Ethics
• Is an approach that reduces the
emphasis of rule, consequences, and
particular acts.

• Instead, focus on quality of the person.

• Although action and consequences are

significant, virtue ethics does not focus
on wheter an action is right or wrong
nor on whether the consequences are
good or bad.
• Aristotle most often used the term
ēthē for character, which is
etymologically linked to “ethics”
and “morality”.

• Aristotle considered goodness of

character as a product of the
practice of virtuous behavior.

Aristo tl e
• According to Aristotle, virtues are
tendencies to act, to feel, and
Theory of
Moral
Developm
ent
 W h a t i s
M o ra l
D e v e l o p m
MORAL DEVELOPMENT is

en t
the gradual development of
an individuals concept of
right or wrong - conscious,
religious values, social
attitudes and certain
behavior.
 Who is
Lawrence
Kohlberg?
• Born in Bronxville, New
York on October 15, 1927

• He is professor at Harvard
University. He became
a w r e n c e
famouse for his work there L
beginning in the early
Ko h l b e rg
 Who is
Lawrence
Kohlberg?
• He started as a
developmental
psychologist and then
moved to the field of moral
education.
a w r e n c e
• He was particularly well- L
known development which
Ko h l b e rg
the popularized through
Theory of Moral
development
--> Kohlberg extended
Piaget’s Theory; proposed
--> He based his theory upon
research and interviews with
that moral development is groups of young children.
a continual process that
occurs throughout the --> A series of moral
dilemmas were presented to
lifespan.
these participants and they
were also interviewed to
--> Used Piaget’s story-
determine the reasoning
telling technique to tell behind their judgements of
people stories involving each scenario.
moral dilemmas.
 Stage s of Mo ra l
Dev elop m en t
1 LEVEL 1: PRE-CONVENTIONAL
MORALITY
2 LEVEL 2: CONVENTIONAL
MORALITY

3 LEVEL 3: POST-CONVENTIONAL
MORALITY
 LEVEL 1:
Preconventional
Morality
At this level individuals obey because
(Age 4-10)
authority figures tell them to obey.
These people judge morality strictly on
the basis of consequences.
 Stage 1:
Obedience &
Punishment Stage 2:
“Might makes Individualism
right.”
• Avoidance of & • Exchange
“T he Eg oi st”
Marketplace exchange
physical of favors or blows. “You
punishment and scratch my back, I’ll
deference to scratch yours.” Justice
is: “ Do unto others as
power.
they do unto you.”
LEVEL 2: Conventional
Morality
(Age 10-13)
These individuals are most concerned
about the opinions of their peers. They
want to please and help others while
developing their own internal idea of
what it means to be a good person.
 Stage 3:
Interpersonal Stage 4:
Relationships
“Good Boy/Good Girl”
• A person acts to gain Maintaining
approval of others. Good
behavior is that which Social
“T he Go odOrder
Citizen”
• Respect for fixed rules, laws
pleases or helps others and properly constituted
within the group. One earns authority. Defense of the given
approval by being social and institutional order
conventionally “respectable” for its own sake. Responsibility
and “nice”. toward the welfare of others in
the society.
 LEVEL 3: Post-
Conventional Morality
(Adolescence to
Adulthood)
Morality is judged in terms of abstract
principles and not by existing rules that
govern society. Moral and ethical
choices rise above the laws of society,
and individuals look within themselves
for the answers rather than basing
 Stage 5: Social
Contract & Stage 6:
“The Ph Individual
ilosopher King” Universal
• IndividuaRights
l acts out of mutual
obligation and a se nse of public Principles
“The Prophet/Messiah”
• An individual who reaches
good. Right action tends to be this stage acts out of
defined in terms of general
universal principles based
individual rights, andn in terms
upon the equality and worth
of standards that have been
of all living beings. Persons
critically examined and agreed
upon by the whole society. are never means to an end,
but are ends in themselves
 6 Key Points to
Keep in Mind
• One must progress
through the stages
• In stage development
individuals are
cognitively attracted to
reasoning one level
• It is quite possible for
in order, and one a human being to
above their own present
cannot get to a dominant level physically mature but
higher stage without not morally mature.
passing through the • In stage development,
movement through the • Kohlberg believed
stage immediately
stage is effected when that only about 25%
preceding it.
cognitive disequilibrium of persons ever grow
is effected when to level six, the
• In stage cognitive disequilibrium majority remaining at
development, is created, that is when level four.
subjects cannot a person’s cognitive
comprehend moral outlook is not adequate
to cope with a given
reasoning at a stage
Than
ks!