Essay - Development of Moral Thinking in Childhood PDF

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Running Head: DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL THINKING IN CHILDHOOD

Development of Moral Thinking in Childhood Alexandria Martin Psychology of Human Development (PSY 211 – 51) Rowan College at South Jersey 24 March 2020

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Abstract This paper explores two published texts regarding research based on Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory expanded on Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. This paper focuses on the three established levels of Kohlberg’s theory and provides details between the levels. The three proposed levels of moral development are preconventional reasoning, conventional reasoning, and postconventional reasoning. Each of the proposed levels comes in two stages. The preconventional level comes along with the obedience-and-punishment orientation and the instrumental orientation stages. The conventional level comes with the good boy nice girl orientation and the law-and-order orientation stages. The postconventional level comes with along with the social-contract orientation and universalethical-principal orientation stages.

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Introduction Lawrence Kohlberg developed a moral development theory loosely based off the work of Jean Piaget. Kohlberg proposed three levels of moral development: preconventional reasoning, conventional reasoning, and postconventional reasoning. Kohlberg stated, “Development from one level to another is fostered by opportunities to take the perspective of others and to experience conflict between one’s current level of moral thinking and the reasoning of someone at a higher level” (Santrock, 2020). He argued that these three levels are universal. Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Thinking The first and lowest level of Kohlberg’s theory is preconventional reasoning. Within this level children are able to distinguish between good and bad by terms of reward and punishment. Essentially authority is outside of the person and reasoning is based upon the physical consequences of actions (McLeod, 2013). The preconventional level breaks down into stage one and stage two: the obedience-and-punishment orientation and instrumental orientation. Stage one focuses on the child’s desire to disobey rules and avoid punishment, while stage two leads the child to act in their best interest. This stage is generally experienced by children between birth and age nine (“Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development”). The second level of this theory is conventional reasoning. At this level, people are able to learn and apply certain standards set by others. They do not have the capability to make moral judgment calls for themselves and often follow standards set by someone of a higher authority, such as their parents or government officials (Santrock, 2020). The conventional level breaks down into stages three and four: the good boy nice girl orientation and the law-and-order orientation. In stage three, children seek the approval of others and will start to act in ways to avoid disapproval. In stage four, children will blindly accept rules “because of their importance

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in maintaining a functional society” (“Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development”). Individuals will graduate to this stage upon entering early adolescence. However, not everyone is capable of progressing past the second level of Kohlberg’s theory (Santrock, 2020). The third and highest level in Kohlberg’s theory is postconventional reasoning. Within this level people are able to recognize different moral standings, explore their options, and form their own moral code. Individuals in this stage additionally will perform self-checks on their reasoning to make sure it holds up against other high ethical standards (Santrock, 2020). The postconventional level breaks down into stages five and six: the social-contract orientation and universal-ethical-principal orientation. Stage five offers a different view of society, as individuals are now able to view different opinions, rights, and values. Stage six states that moral reasoning are abstract rather than concrete. Although Kohlberg insisted that the sixth stage exists, he found it challenging to locate individuals who consistently operated at that stage (“Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development”). This stage is usually accomplished by early adulthood (Santrock, 2020). Conclusion Moral development plays an essential role in our daily social interactions. Kohlberg’s theory of moral development provides a framework for people to understand the thought process of others and to begin comprehending how moral reasoning develops within individuals.

DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL THINKING IN CHILDHOOD References Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. (n.d.) Lumen Learning. courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/kohlbergs-stages-of-moraldevelopment/. McLeod, S. (2013). Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Simply Psychology. simplypsychology.org/Kohlberg.html Santrock, J. W. (2020). Essentials of Life-Span Development. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

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