1. D evelopment Stages of
Conscience
1. Instinctive or Instructive
o At this level, an act is judged as good if it is
rewarded, and evil if it is punished.
Good :
Rewarded
Bad : Punished
Example: A young boy at this level may surrender a lost
wallet to the DOSS office because he knows he will win
the praise of his teachers and his classmates for being
honest.
2. 2. Ethical or Moral
oAt this level, a person begins to realize that
the goodness or evilness of an act does not
depend on the approval or disapproval of
others or on the prospect of a reward or
punishment.
oAt this level, a person begins to understand
that particular acts uphold universal human
values, regardless of whether the act is met
with approval or criticism.
Example: A young man brings a lost wallet to the
DOSS office because he understands that it is
objectively important to do so.
- Doing what gives him a sense of his authentic identity and character.
3. 3. Christian or Religious
o At this stage individuals begin to see their
moral acts as a response of faith to God – to
do what is good and to live the fullness of a
graced life.
o Persons with a Christian conscience judge as
act to be good or evil based on the teachings,
the life, and the perfect example of Jesus
Christ.
Example: A young man at this level may bring a wallet to
the DOSS office because he recognizes that this
simmple act is a concrete response to the call of Christ,
as well as a reflection of deep personal relationship
with Him.
5. “ For a person to be truly human and
loving, he or she has to form and follow
his or her conscience. Since conscience is
not a law unto itself but applies objective
moral laws and values to discern moral
good or evil, we have the moral obligation
to form our conscience for it to be truly
informed, truly mature, and truly
Christian.”
