1. Dr Neeta Gupta
Associate Professor
Department of psychology
Certified Practitioner of EFT &
REBT (London) & CBT
(Scotland)
DAV PG College
Dehradun
Moral-Development
2. Moral development is the process through
which children develop proper attitudes and
behaviours toward other people in society,
based on social and cultural norms, rules, and
laws. Moral development is a concern for every
parent. Teaching a child to distinguish right from
wrong and to behave accordingly is a goal of
parenting.
3. Moral development focuses on the emergence,
change, and understanding of morality from infancy
through adulthood. Morality develops across a
lifetime and is influenced by an individual's
experiences and their behaviour when faced with
moral issues through different periods' physical and
cognitive development.
4. Example of moral development:
Moral decisions are based on either
being good by following the rules or
being bad by breaking them.
For example, a child may think, 'I don't
want to get scolded so I'm not going to
hit my brother!' Stage 2 is about self-
reward. Moral decisions in this stage
are based on getting a reward that is
personally meaningful.
5. Moral development is an important part of the
socialization process. The term refers to the way
people learn what society considered to be “good”
and “bad,” which is important for a smoothly
functioning society. Moral development prevents
people from acting on unchecked urges, instead
considering what is right for society and good for
others.
6. Theories of Moral-
Development:
Piaget described a two-stage
process of moral
development.Kohlberg
extended Piaget's theory,
proposing that moral
development is a continual
process that occurs
throughout the lifespan. His
theory outlines six stages of
moral development within
three different levels.
7. The Heinz dilemma is a frequently used example in many ethics
and morality classes. One well-known version of the dilemma,
used in Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development, is
stated as follows:
A woman was on her deathbed. There was one drug that the
doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a
druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was
expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what
the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and
charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug.
8. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to
everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he
could only get together about $1,000 which is
half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his
wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper
or let him pay later. But the druggist said: “No, I
discovered the drug and I'm going to make
money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and
broke into the man's laboratory to steal the
drug for his wife. Should Heinz have broken into
the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife?
Why or why not?
11. Level 1: Pre Conventional
Throughout the pre Conventional level, a child’s sense of
morality is externally controlled. Children accept and believe
the rules of authority figures, such as parents and teachers. A
child with pre-conventional morality has not yet adopted or
internalized society’s conventions regarding what is right or
wrong, but instead focuses largely on external consequences
that certain actions may bring.
Stage 1: Obedience and-Punishment Orientation
Stage 1 focuses on the child’s desire to obey rules and avoid
being punished. For example, an action is perceived as
morally wrong because the perpetrator is punished; the
worse the punishment for the act is, the more “bad” the act is
perceived to be.
13. Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation
Stage 2 expresses the “what’s in it for me?” position,
in which right behavior is defined by whatever the
individual believes to be in their best interest. Stage
two reasoning shows a limited interest in the needs
of others. Concern for others is not based on loyalty
or intrinsic respect, but rather a “you scratch my
back, and I’ll scratch yours” mentality. An example
would be when a child is asked by his parents to do
a chore. The child asks “what’s in it for me?” and the
parents offer the child an incentive by giving him an
allowance.
14. Level 2: Conventional Level:
Throughout the conventional level, a child’s
sense of morality is tied to personal and societal
relationships. Children continue to accept the
rules of authority figures, but this is now due to
their belief that this is necessary to ensure
positive relationships and societal order.
Adherence to rules and conventions is
somewhat rigid during these stages, and a rule’s
appropriateness or fairness is seldom
questioned.
15. Stage 3: Good Boy, Nice Girl Orientation
In stage 3, children want the approval of others and
act in ways to avoid disapproval. Emphasis is placed
on good behavior and people being “nice” to others.
Stage 4: Law-and-Order Orientation
In stage 4, the child blindly accepts rules and
convention because of their importance in
maintaining a functioning society. Rules are seen as
being the same for everyone. If one person violates a
law, perhaps everyone would—thus there is an
obligation and a duty to uphold laws and rules. Most
active members of society remain at stage four, where
morality is still predominantly dictated by an outside
force.
16. Level 3: Post-conventional
Throughout the post-conventional level, a
person’s sense of morality is defined in terms of
more abstract principles and values. People now
believe that some laws are unjust and should be
changed or eliminated. This level is marked by a
growing realization that individuals are separate
entities from society and that individuals may
disobey rules inconsistent with their own
principles. Some theorists have speculated that
many people may never reach this level of
abstract moral reasoning.
17. Stage 5: Social-Contract Orientation
In stage 5, the world is viewed as holding different
opinions, rights, and values. Such perspectives should
be mutually respected as unique to each person or
community. Laws are regarded as social contracts
rather than rigid edicts.
Stage 6: Universal-Ethical-Principal Orientation
In stage 6, moral reasoning is based on abstract
reasoning using universal ethical principles. Laws are
valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice, and
a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation
to disobey unjust laws. People choose the ethical
principles they want to follow, and if they violate
those principles, they feel guilty.
20. Level Stage Heinz should steal the drug,
because
Heinz should not steal the drug,
because
1.Pre-Conventional
Obedience
It is only worth $200 and not
how much the druggist wanted
for it; Heinz had even offered to
pay for it and was not stealing
anything else.
He will consequently be put in
prison which will mean he is a
bad person.
Self-interest He will be much happier if he
saves his wife, even if he has to
serve a prison sentence.
Prison is an awful place, and he
would more likely languish in a
jail cell than over his wife's
death.
2.Conventional
Conformity
His wife expects it; he
wants to be a good
husband.
Stealing is bad and he is not a
criminal; he has tried to do
everything he can without
breaking the law, you cannot
blame him.
Law-and-order
His wife will benefit, but he
should also take the prescribed
punishment for the crime as well
as paying the druggist what he is
owed.
Criminals cannot just run around
without regard for the law;
actions have consequences.
The law prohibits
stealing.
3.Post-
Conventional
Social contract
orientation
Everyone has a right to
choose life, regardless
of the law.
The scientist has a right to fair
compensation. Even if his wife is
sick, it does not make his actions
right.
Universal human
ethics
Saving a human life is a
more fundamental value
than the property rights
of another person.
Others may need the
medicine just as badly, and
their lives are equally
significant.
21. Kohlberg’s theory is criticized on the grounds
that people frequently demonstrate significant
inconsistency in their moral judgements. This
often occurs in moral dilemmas involving
drinking and driving or business situations
where participants have been shown to reason
at a lower developmental stage, typically using
more self-interest driven reasoning (i.e., stage
two) than authority and social order obedience
driven reasoning (i.e., stage four). Critics argue
that Kohlberg’s theory cannot account for such
inconsistencies.