Thread: 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.
~