In this article you will read about:
Introduction
Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development expands Jean Piaget’s interest in identifying the particularities of ethical evolution. The book The Moral Judgement of the Child summarizes Piaget’s research in rule understanding and social norms revealed through two distinct situations: the collective game governed by rules and the analysis of children’s stories regarding “bad deeds”, such as stealing or lying.
Previous research on Moral Development
The main conclusion and contribution of the Piagetian explorations are identifying and describing the two forms of moral development seen in children: heteronomy and autonomy. Until the age of 7 or 8 years old, the child is the bearer of his entourage’s morality (hetero means other, others). Autonomy begins after this period and is present by the age of 9 or 10 and consolidated afterwards. The child begins to understand the necessity of and the reason behind moral rules, perceiving their utility in social interactions and their part in assuring everyone has an equal chance.
It is important to note that Jean Piaget did not discuss the entire moral conduct and only focused his attention on moral judgment, based on his primary interest: the logico-formal intelligence (read Jean Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development).
Morality is closely linked and partially determined by the levels of empathy a person feels. Empathy is a testable variable that can be assessed using the Emotional Empathy Scale (EES).
“I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.”
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Based on the results you have obtained on (insert date) after taking (The Big Five Personality Test) you have an inclination for (insert level) of (neuroticism).
Based on the results you have obtained on (insert date) after taking (The Big Five Personality Test) you have an inclination for (insert level) of (neuroticism).
Content embedded
tests results
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View your psychological assessment whenever relevant to what you’re reading
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See your most recent tests results diplayed as scores and percentage bars
-
Look over descriptions of your emotional, cognitive or behavioural tendencies
The Methodology of Kohlberg's Experimentation
Kohlberg chose from the various techniques of collecting data the method of moral dilemmas and the interview. The moral “dilemmas” were 10 created situations where the problem was the opposition between the general requirement of the moral norm (e.g., “Thou shall not steal”) and a particular situation that could favour and explain the breaking of the said norm.
The Heinz Dilemma
Somewhere in Europe, a woman has a rare form of cancer and risks dying. There is only one medicine that can save her. It is a type of radium sold for ten times the price it costs to produce it by the pharmacist who discovered it. The medicine is worth 200$, but he is asking for 2000$!
Heinz, the sick woman’s husband, has tried to collect the money by borrowing from his friends but could only add up to 1000$. He then asked the pharmacist to give him the medicine for half the price, arguing that time is crucial for his wife’s life and that he will pay the rest later. The pharmacist refused him.
Desperate, Heinz breaks into the pharmacy at night and steals the medicine.
← One of Lawrence Kohlberg’s moral dilemmas used in the interview designed for assessing children’s ethical reasoning.
Interview Questions
In the interview that followed, the children were asked questions designed to obtain a disclosure of the motivations backing their answers. Among these were:
- Was Heinz right to steal the medicine?
- What would have happened if Heinz did not care for his wife?
- Would this fact have changed anything?
- If the sick person was a stranger, did Heinz had to steal the medicine?
The response per see did not matter that much, as the research was more interested in the moral reasoning that backed the answer.
Morality book recommendations
Right action tends to be defined in terms of general individual rights and standards that have been critically examined and agreed upon by the whole society.
Level 3: Postconventional Morality
Autonomous morality
An adult form of morality but not very frequent.
The judgement criteria are based on analysis and critic evaluations of the norm. personal convictions and individual value systems and the ones responsible for filtering the general norm system. The authority which guides the reasoning is internal – is oneself.
Stage 5: Individual rights and the social contract
Main guide: Social contract seen as a civic commitment
The acceptance of the norm is made from a democratic standpoint. Reason comes first, which makes the norm to be seen and understood as a social contract. It is not perfect, it has contradictions, and people can change it through common agreement. The norm cannot oppose a fundamental value: life, liberty. There is a rapport between the law and situational contextualization.
Example answers to Heinz’s dilemma:
- “They promised to be together all of their lives.”
- “He did not do well he stole, but it was a matter of life and death.”
- “For this kind of goal, the mean (stealing) is pardonable.”
- “The law is crooked is it permits the pharmacist to sacrifice a life.”
Stage 6: Individual principles of conduct
Main guide: One’s own conscience, universal principles
Although it is based on general moral principles, that which is considered good or bad is the result of a personal endeavour based on personal convictions. These are more important than any form of pressure. Self-condemnation is considered to be much more difficult to cope with that any other punishment. About 6% of the general population reaches this stage, which made researchers name this stage the morality of heroes and saints.
Example answers to Heinz’s dilemma:
- “If he didn’t try every possible solution to save her, Heins wouldn’t have been himself. For him, every life deeply matters.”
Moral thought may be considered partially to generate it's own data as it goes along.
