Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who developed a theory of moral development with four distinct stages: (1) Anomy from birth to age 5 where children do not distinguish right from wrong, (2) Heteronomy-Authority from ages 5-8 where children obey rules out of respect for authority, (3) Heteronomy-Reciprocity from ages 9-13 where children follow rules of fair exchange and reciprocity, and (4) Autonomy from ages 13-18 where children think more critically and take others' perspectives. Piaget believed moral judgment develops from children's own observations rather than direct teaching from adults.

1. Welcome
Core Course II
Psychology Of Learning And
Human Development

2. MORAL DEVELOPMENT
by
JEAN PIAGET

3. What is Moral Development?
Moral Development:
- It refers to the evolution of Moral sense
to discriminate the right and wrong, and
development of character.
- Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
regarding standards of right and wrong.

4. JEAN PIAGET
• A Swiss developmental psychologist and
philosopher
• Period: August 1896 – September 1980
• Fields: Developmental Psychology, Epistemology.
• He is the first psychologist in the field of human
Developmental psychology and also he
influenced Lawrence Kohlberg.

5. Piaget’s Moral Development
Jean Piaget was one of the first Psychologist to
Specifically outline a Theory of Moral Development.
According to Jean Piaget, The Child is Someone who
constructs his own moral world view, Who forms ideas
about Right and Wrong, Fair and Unfair that are not the
direct product of adult teaching. Piaget believed that
Children make moral judgments based on their own
observations of the world.

6. MORAL REALISM & MORAL RELATIVISM
Young Children are more realists
who interpret the moral rules and look at
the material side of the actions and their
magnitude, ignoring the intentions of the
acts.
Only about 11- 12 year, do children
become capable of moral relativism i.e.
evaluating acts on the basis of intention
behind them rather than the magnitude.

7. There are distinct our stages of Moral
Development
ANOMY
HETERONOMY
- AUTHORITY
HETERONOMY
- RCIPROCITY
AUTONOMY

8. ANOMY STAGE
AGE : From Birth to Five Years.

9. Anomy Stage
• This Stage is a stage without Law. The child
does not know whether the behavior is Moral
or immoral.
• Age : the first five years of birth.
• His each and every behavior is not guided by
moral standards.

10. HETERONOMY - AUTHORITY
AGE: 5 - 8 years

11. Heteronomy - Authority
• Children Follow strict rules and are
completely obedient to authority.
•Children in this stage can also judge how
wrong a particular action is by its immediate
consequence; punishment is seen as an
automatic response to breaking a rule.
•Age: 5-8 years

12. HETERONOMY - RECIPROCITY
AGE : 9 -13 years

13. Heteronomy - Reciprocity
• This stage is regulated by reciprocity which
implies, “We should not do to others what will
be offensive to us”.
• Age: 9 – 13
• The Moral development in most of us get fixed
at this stage and may not progress ahead.

14. AUTONOMY STAGE
AGE : 13 -18 years

15. Autonomy Stage
Children Learn how to critically evaluate
rules and apply them based on co-operation
and respect with others. They
begin to learn to take the perspective of
others in this stage.
Intention is also an important concept of
this stage
Age:13 – 18 years.

16. Gender and Moral Development
Piaget did compare the stages of morality
between the two sexes, noting both parallels and
some differences. Both have stages of moral
heteronomy and autonomy.
He actually saw girls’ moral understanding as in
some ways actually more advanced than boys’.

17. Conclusion
Jean piaget is the first Human developmental
psychologist to define Moral development.
He influenced Lawrence Kohlberg who later
gave a Explained theory on Moral
development.