This document summarizes the theories of Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg on child development and moral reasoning. [1] Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development from infancy to adulthood. [2] Erikson described eight psychosocial stages from infancy to late adulthood defined by psychosocial crises. [3] Kohlberg identified three levels of moral reasoning - pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional - defined by the reasons given for moral decisions.

1. Piaget, Erikson and Kohlberg

2.  Swiss Child Psychologist
Researched and studied his
his own children.
 Patters of intelligence which explain how
adult intelligence originates in infancy.

3.  Appear in the same order for all children, but
not always at the same age.
#1 Sensorimotor Period
#2 Preoperational Period
#3 Concrete Operations Period
#4 Formal Operations
*each have several sub-stages.

4.  Birth > Age 2
 Learn through senses and own actions
 Egocentric – thinking only about him or
herself
 Object Permanence – the idea that an object
exists even when it is not in view.

5.  Age 2 > Age 7
 Children think of everything in terms of:
◦ their own activities
◦ what they perceive at the moment
 Their unusual perspectives are often seen as
“imaginative”
 Understand abstract language (love, beauty)

6.  Concentration is limited (one thing at a time)
 Often solve problems by pretending.
 Real and make believe are blurred.

7.  Age 7 > 11
 Children can think logically
 Still learn best from experience (senses)
 Need to see/experience a problem to solve it.
 Understand logical processes such as “the
glasses experiment”

8.  Age 11 > adulthood
 Capable of symbolic learning – interpreting
meaning from words, symbols, numbers.
 Do not need to experience something to
understand it. (logical, critical, compassionate)
 Able to make plans, goals for the future.
 Detect subtle or hidden meaning.

10. The 8 Stages

11. Presents a “crisis”,
choice or fork in the road
Requires choosing a
pathway
 Mastery of a stage
allows for smoother
transition into the next

12.  Successes and failures mould how we see the
world, ourselves and others.
 Personality can be changed by new
experience at any stage. (choosing a fork in
the road)

13.  Development depends on whether or not
needs are being met.
 Trust comes with predictability of care.
 Unpredictability and uncertainty of
care/support creates mistrust.

14.  Autonomy = independence, ability to stand
alone.
 Age 2-3
 Taking care of themselves
 Independence through learning and exploring
 Need for encouraging caregivers
 Shame comes from discouragement and over-
protection

15.  Age 4-5
 Child is learning to feel purposeful and take
initiative
 Freedom, exploration and questioning
“Why??”
 Guilt comes from criticism, lack of
recognition

16.  Age 6 to 11
 Industry = making an effort
 Inferiority = feeling less important, defeated
 Expanding beyond family –
school, sports, activities
 Importance of family life in preparing for
school.

17.  Adolescence (12-18)
 Focus on peers and social groups
 Modelling yourself after someone
 Influence of friends, teachers, media and less
focus on family

18.  Young adulthood
 Seeking out a partner, “testing the waters” of
relationships
 Good experiences leads to intimacy
 Rejection, disappointment leads to isolation

19.  Mid-life
 Generativity = full, productive life
 Stagnation = lack of development
 Productivity creates a sense of
accomplishment (family, career, kids)
 Stagnation fosters lack of achievement, low
self worth

20.  Old age
 Integrity = completeness, pride
 “Am I proud of what I have done?”.
 Facing
regrets, dissatisfaction, mistakes, failures.

21.  As humans move through the stages they
progress from parental and familial
relationships, to peers, and finally romantic.
 Mastery of each stage is not required, but
helps navigate later stages.
 The last stage is the only one that cannot be
revisited.

22. 3 Levels, 6 Sub-Stages

23.  1920s-1980s
 American psychologist and university
professor
 Expert in moral education and logic
 Interested in: How people respond to moral
dilemmas!

24.  Level determined by the reasons a
person gives for making a
decision.

25.  Child will care about what is right or
wrong, good or bad.
 Judges an action based on the
consequences they experience

26.  Child acts to AVOID punishment.
 Acts in order to receive reward.
 Obey rules for positive consequence.

27.  Personal needs determine right and
wrong.
 Right action satisfies own needs and
maybe the needs of others.
 “Making a trade” or doing a favour.

28.  Make decisions to live up to the
expectations of others.
 Family, Friends, Social Group, Nation, the
Law
 Meeting these expectations is more
important than consequences.

29.  Good behaviours = actions that please
others!
 Appearing to be “normal” or have “good
intentions” is important.
 Approval indicates moral behaviour.
 Kohlberg believes that MOST
People don’t move past this
stage.

30.  Good behaviour = following the rules and
respecting authority
 Behaving to maintain social order and display
respect.
 Example: Respecting others’ property.

31.  A person identifies morality and values
according to validity.
 Less influenced by authority and
personal interest.
 Judgements based on abstract personal
principles.

32.  Right actions determined by more “general
rights”
 Agreed on by society as a whole
 Awareness of personal values and legal
 Not all cultures and societies have the same
concepts of right and wrong.

33.  Right decision is a decision of personal
conscience.
 Appeals to universal, consistent truths.
 Focus: Justice, Equality, Human Dignity.

34.  We have to go step by step – no skipping
stages!
 Typically we don’t reach the higher stages.
 Having “role models” in the higher stages
helps us grow. Learning by example.
 Stages progress from an individual to
universal level.

35.  Pre-conventional
◦ consequences they see, meeting own needs.
 Conventional
◦ The expectations of others
◦ Rules and social order
 Post-conventional
◦ Abstract personal principles
◦ LESS on authority

38.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/stor
y/2012/01/18/ottawa-odawa-
fundraising.html