MORAL DEVELOPMENT

JEAN PIAGET

• Rules: first from parents
• Rules are the rules! - Eminent Justice
• Realization: rules can change - if everyone agrees

DID JIMMY DO THE RIGHT THING?

Mom is angry = wrong

RIGHT? WRONG?

MOral reasoning

• Age 6 = intentionality!!!

INTENTIONALITY

Moral dilemma

Moral dilemma

Moral dilemma

Lawrence Kohlberg
Moral dilemma: situation in which you cannot fulfill one moral absolute w/o violating another

WHY>?

INFANTS: "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!!!!!"

Internal morality through assimilation and accommodation

Moral development

• Pre-conventional stage
• Conventional stage
• Post-conventional stage

KOHLBERG'S MORAL DEVELOPMENT:

• Pre-conventional: stages 1-2
• Conventional: stages 1-2
• Post conventional stages 1-2

PRE-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 1

• No internalization
• Avoid punishment or get rewards
• If do wrong = you get in trouble
• Right + wrong based on environment
• It's wrong b/c I remember when mom...

PRE-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 2

• It's wrong b/c it's wrong
• no anecdote
• It's wrong b/c someone told me so...

Pre-conventional stages 1+2: It's ok if I do not get in trouble

CONVENTIONAL STAGE 3

• By late teens - early adult
• INTERMEDIATE internalization
• Moral reasoning highly depends on peers
• "Everyone else would have done the same thing

CONVENTIONAL STAGE 4

• It's best for SOCIETY
• If everyone does something wrong, then...
• Chris did wrong, but...
• Plato, Socrates, law students, police officers

POst conventional 5

• TRANSCENDENT MORAL PRINCIPLES
• Morality is above the law
• "Chris" had the OBLIGATION to steal to save wife's life
• Would you follow laws even when not responsible?

"One has the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws"
MLK

Untitled Slide

Ted Kacynski Unambomber
1978 - 1995

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What makes the difference?

Limitations to kohlberg's stages of moral development

• POST CONVENTIONAL STAGE - DANGEROUS
• Disconnect b/w beliefs and action
• Privileged sample