Moral Development Values and Religion ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY Moral

Moral Development, Values, and Religion ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY

Moral Development � Thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding standards of right and wrong � Both interpersonal and intrapersonal �When being social and when not engaged with others � Values: beliefs and attitudes about the way things should be.

Moral Thought Piaget – children’s moral development � Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral development based on moral reasoning � �Studied using vignettes (11 moral dilemmas) � 3 levels of moral development �Each level has 2 stages �Go from values being external and superficial to more internal and mature as one progresses through levels and stages � Lets look at Kohlberg’s model of moral development…

Kohlberg – Level 1: Preconventional Reasoning Lowest level, focused on reward and punishment �Before age 9 Stage 1: punishment & obedience orientation � Stage 2: Individualism, instrumental purpose, and exchange � �What is right involves an equal exchange �Nice to you so you will be nice to me �“What’s in it for me? ”

Kohlberg – Level 2: Conventional Reasoning Second, intermediate level – abide by internal standards, but there are external standards of others � Most adolescents are reasoning in conventional ways; stage 3 with some stage 2 and stage 4 � Stage 3: Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity � Value trust, caring, and loyalty as basis of what is “right” � Often adopt parent’s values at this stage � Seek to be seen as “good” � Stage 4: Social systems morality � Moral judgment based on social order, law and justice � Understanding that for community to work we need laws

Kohlberg – Level 3: Postconventional Reasoning Highest level, morality becomes more internal � Sees alternative moral courses � Explores the moral options � Decides on personal moral code � Stage 5 – early 20 s and Stage 6 is questionable for various reasons � Stage 5: Social contract or utility and individual rights � Values, rights, and principles are basis of moral reasoning � Evaluate laws and social systems based on how they uphold and protect fundamental rights � Stage 6: Universal ethical principles � Moral reasoning based on universal human rights � When law and conscience conflict, individual will follow conscience � Individual takes personal risks to stand by their morality

Kohlberg’s Theory Stage 6 has been removed from scoring manual Moral reasoning changes very slowly and gradually (2009) Moral orientation – cognitive development and exposure to appropriate social experiences � Some believe that morality develops in similar ways to cognitive development (equilibrium and conflict) � So…moral thought can be moved to higher level through exposure to models or discussion that is more advanced than the adolescent’s level � � Emphasized importance of peer give-and-take interactions in development of higher moral reasoning (including role taking and challenging conversations) � Parent-child interactions: allow & encourage conversations about value-laden topics � Critics: not enough focus on behavior � May be able to reason, but what do they DO…

Moral Reasoning Justice vs. care perspectives (Carol Gilligan) �Care perspective not addressed adequately in Kohlberg’s theory �Emphasizes relationships and concern for others �Gender Social Conventional Reasoning: thoughts about social consensus and convention

Moral Behavior & Feeling � � Processes of reward, punishment, and imitation Social Cognitive Theory – difference between moral competence (ability to produce moral bxs) and moral performance (enactment of bxs in specific situations) � Self-control, self-regulation Prosocial Behavior: altruism, forgiveness, gratitude � Moral Feelings: empathy develops around 10 -12 years of age � � Sympathy, empathy, admiration and self-esteem � Anger, outrage, shame and guilt

Contexts of Moral Development: Parenting � Supportive parenting Encouraging to question and expand moral reasoning � Opportunity to learn about other’s perspectives � Included in family decision making process � � Higher level of moral reasoning in adolescence � Child-rearing Techniques (discipline) � Love withdrawal anxiety � Power assertion hostility � Induction – use of reason and explanation of consequences for others from adolescent’s behavior