Psychology: Moral Development
Morality Development
Kohlbergs Stages of Morality
Preconventional Morality Level:
- Moral rules external to self
- Child's moral acts based on most salient punishment or reward
+ Obediance and Punishment Orientation:
- Focus on avoiding punishment, consequences, severe consequences. Refers to powerful authority figures.
+ Naive Hedonism:
- Actions motivated by pleasure. Concerned with rewards or satisfyin personal objectives. Pursues individual interests or individual reciprocity.
Conventional Morality:
- Gain approval and maintain relationships.
+ Good Girl/Boy Orientation:
- Gain approval or disapproval of others. Conforms to standards of family and friends. Tries to please others.
+ Social Order Maintaining Morality:
- Takes the persepctive of society. Conforms to social standards of "law and order". Blindly follows social rules.
Post Conventional Morality:
- Based on broad principles. Differentiation between morally/legally right.
+ Social Contract Orientation:
- Follow laws that maintain rights of others, but laws that compromise rights are challenged.
+ Morality of Individual Principles of Conscience:
- Based on your own moral code, hyopthetical stage considering its rarity.
Criticism:
- Bias in moral research as Kohlberg included boys. Carol Gilligan and her "Morality of Care vs. of Justice" critiques flaws in Kohlbergs reasoning.
I hope this has been enlightening.
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