Chapter 7 Moral Development, Values, and Religion PDF

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chapter 7 with dr. Rebecca Martin online course...

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Chapter 7: Moral Development, Values, and Religio Saturday, February 29, 2020

5:31 PM

• Moral development: thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regardi and wrong ○ Has an intrapersonal dimension-regulates a person's acti not engaged in social interaction ○ Also has interpersonal dimension-regulations social intera conflict • Lawrence Kohlberg's 3 Levels: ○ Preconventional reasoning: lowest level in Kohlberg's the development; at this level, morality is often focused on rew punishments § Desribed as "what's in it for me?" ○ Conventional reasoning: second/intermediate level in koh individuals abide by certain standards (internal), but they others (external), such as parents or the laws of society § At this level, individuals develop expectations about s ○ Postconventional reasoning: third and highest level in koh morality Is more internal where the individual recgonizes courses, explores the options, and then decides on a mor § Here, individuals engage in deliberate checks on thei ensure that it meets high ethical standards • Kohlberg argued that these levels occur sequentially and are ○ Theorized that the individual's moral orientation unfolds a cognitive development and exposure to appropriate socia § Children and adolescents construct their moral thoug from one level to the next, rather than passively acce of morality ○ Like piaget kohlberg emphasized that peer interaction is

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• Kohlberg argued that these levels occur sequentially and are age-related ○ Theorized that the individual's moral orientation unfolds as a consequence of cognitive development and exposure to appropriate social experiences § Children and adolescents construct their moral thoughts as they pass from one level to the next, rather than passively accepting a cultural norm of morality ○ Like piaget, kohlberg emphasized that peer interaction is a critical part of the social stimulation that challenges individuals to change their moral orientation § Whereas adults characteristically impose rules on children, the mutual give and take in peer interaction provides kids with the chance to take the role of another person and to generate rules democratically § Kohlberg stressed that role-taking chances can, in principle, be engendered by any peer group encounter □ Researchers have found that more advanced moral reasoning takes place when peers engage in challenging conversation § Kohlberg also noted that certain types of parentchild experiences can induce the child/adolescent to think at more advanced levels of moral reasoning • Kohlberg's theory is a description of the progressive conceptions people use to understand social cooperation as it tells the developmental story of people trying to understand society rules and roles and institutions and

understand society, rules and roles, and institutions and relationships which are fundamental to adolescents ○ His theory has become less influential due to criticisms: § Too much emphasis on moral thought and not enough on moral behavior □ Moral reasons can always be used as a shelter for immoral behavior § Haidt believes that the theory is flawed in that moral thinking is deliberate and that individuals go around all the time contemplating and reasoning about morality □ Haidty believes that most moral thinking is more of an intuitive gut reaction and the deliberate moral reasoning is often an afterthe-fact justification § Evidence shows that emotions play an important role in moral thinking, pushing back against kohlberg's view that emotion has negative effects on moral reasoning § Critics claim that kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning are culturally biased instead of universal § Developmentalists emphasize that parents play more important roles in their kids' moral development than kohlberg envisioned § Most publicized criticism is that kohlberg's theory reflects a gender bias as his theory is based on a male norm that puts abstract principles above relationships and concern for others and sees the individual as standing alone and independently making moral decisions □ Justice perspective: a moral perspective that focuses on the rights of the individual

focuses on the rights of the individual. Individuals are viewed as making moral decisions independently □ Care perspective: the moral perspective of carol gilligan, which views people in terms of their connectedness with others and emphasizes interpersonal communication, relationships with others, and concern for others. ® According to gilligan, kohlberg greatly underplayed the care perspective • Social cognitive theory of moral development: theory that distinguishes between moral competence (the ability to produce moral behaviors) and moral performance (enacting those behaviors in specific situations) • Prosocial behavior-positive side of moral behavior ○ Altruism: unselfish interest in helping another person § Many prosocial acts involve this § Circumstances most likely to involve altruism by adolescents are emphatehtic or sympathetic emotion for an individual in need or a close relationship between the benefactor and the recipient ○ Prosocial behavior occurs more often in adolescence than in childhood ○ Prosocial behavior increases in adolescence maybe because of cognitive changes involving advances in abstract, idealistic, and logical reasoning as well as increased empathy and emotional understanding § There are gender differences, as adolesacent females view themselves as more prosocial empathetic ○ One study confirmed the presence of 6 types of

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prosocial behavior in young adolescents: § Altruism § Public § Emotional § Dire § Anonymous § Compliant ○ Forgiveness: an aspect of prosocial behavior that occurs when the injured person releases the injurer from possible behavioral retaliation ○ Gratitiude: feeling of thankfulness and appreciation, especially in response to someone doing something kind or helpful Ego ideal: component of the supergo that involves ideal standards approved by parents Conscience: component of the superego that involves behaviors not approved of by parents An individual's ego ideal rewards the individual by conveying a sense of pride and personal value when the individual acts according to moral standards ○ The conscience punishes the individual for acting immorally by making the individual feel guilty and worthless § In this way, self-control replaces parental control However, freud's claims regarding the formation of the ego ideal and conscience cannot be verified Erikson outlined 3 stages of moral developmen: ○ Specific moral learning in childhood ○ Ideological concerns in adolescence ○ Ethical consolidation in adulthood Empathy: reaction to another's feelings with an emotional response that is similar to the other's feelings ○ Although it's experienced as an emotional state its

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○ Although it s experienced as an emotional state, its often got a cognitive compoenent- the ability to discern another's inner psychological states which is perspective taking Sympathy is an other-oriented emotional response in which the observer experiences emotions that are the same as or similar to what the other person is feelingoften motivates prosocial behavior Moral identity: an aspect of personality that is present when individuals have moral notions and commitments that are central to their lives ○ Moral character involves having strong convictions, persisting, and overcoming distractions and obstacles ○ Moral motivation involves prioritizing moral values over other personal values Moral exemplars: people who have lived exemplary lives Social domain theory: states that there are different doamins of social knowledge and reasoning, including moral, social conventional, and personal domains ○ Children's and adolescents' moral, social conventional, and personal knowledge and reasoning emerge from their attempts to understand and deal with different forms of social experience Social conventional reasoning: focuses on conventional rules that have been established by social consensus in order to control behavior and maintain the social system ○ Social conventional approach challenges kohlberg's approach as he argued that social conventions are a stop-over on the road to higher moral sophistication Parental discipline: ○ Love withdrawal: disciplinary technique in which a parent witholdes attention or love from the...