Premium Essay

A Summary of Kohlberg's Theory

In:

Submitted By Maxeys1970
Words 1617
Pages 7
A Summary of Kohlberg’s Theory
Tiffany Easterling, Sandra Maxey, and Nakeia Trimble
PSYCH/600 – Developmental Psychology
October 5, 2014
Vicki Koenig

Abstract
How the development of morality in children develops has been a big question for parents and philosophers for decades. The issue of moral development has been and has become a hot topic within education and psychology. “One of the best known theories was developed by a psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg who modified and expanded up Jean Piaget’s work to form a theory that explained how children develop moral reasoning” (Cherry, 2014). Moral development was described in two stages by Piaget. Kohlberg took those two stages described by Piaget and elaborated on them. The theory of moral development, which is described by Kohlberg, outlines three levels with six stages. Kohlberg believes that political liberalism “will not be replaced by a new ideology of the West but will continue to be its dominant ideology for the next century” (Crain, 1985). Kohlberg’s proposed moral development is a process that is continuous and occurs over the period of a person’s lifetime. “Furthermore, Kohlberg believes that the liberalistic concept of justice represents a higher conceptualization of justice in the same sense in which a higher developmental stage in morality represents a higher understanding of justice” (Crain, 1985). However, Carol Gilligan a well-known psychologist, ethicist, and feminist is against Kohlberg’s theories. “Through a review of psychological and literary sources, she illustrates the feminine construction of reality” (Gilligan, 1982). Her belief is that women or girls develop morality differently than men or boys.

A Summary of Kohlberg’s Theory
Lawrence Kohlberg created what is known as a theory of six stages of moral development. Within the six stages are three separate

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Kohlberg Theory on Moral Development

...Kohlberg Theory on Moral Development Team Peace: Belinda Cooper, Dawn Lunsford, and Laverne Phillips PSY 600 August 24, 2015 Dr. Ellingford Introduction Summary of Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory Three Contributions of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Three Limitations of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Although Kohlberg is considered an authority on the human development of morals, his theory is considered limited by other reputable psychologists. Kohlberg’s theory states there are six stages to the development of morals and those six levels are divided into three levels: the pre-conventional stages of moral development, the conventional stage of moral development, and the post-conventional stage of moral development. Other psychologists have claimed that there are no specific stages to the development of morals. Psychologists believe that because people make moral decisions at one age in their life and tend to make the same moral decision later in their life that moral judgment does not develop in stages like Kohlberg theorized. “With respect to stages, we recognize that age-related trends exist in the types of moral judgments people make, and we acknowledge that cognitive development plays a role in determining them. However, because the evidence suggests that different aspects of moral cognition may change in different ways, that people do not relinquish their old ways of thinking when...

Words: 853 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

...cognitive development, it would be impossible to avoid mentioning the work of psychologist Jean Piaget. After receiving his doctoral degree at age 22, Jean Piaget began a career that would have a profound impact on both psychology and education. Through his work with Alfred Binet, Piaget developed an interest in the intellectual development of children. Based upon his observations, he concluded that children are not less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently. Albert Einstein called Piaget's discovery "so simple only a genius could have thought of it."Piaget created a theory of cognitive development that described the basic stages that children go through as they mentally mature. He believed that children are like "little scientists," actively trying to make sense of the world rather than simply soaking up information passively. Schemas One of the key concepts in Piaget's theory is the use of schemas. According to Piaget,schemas are cognitive frameworks or concepts that help people organize and interpret information. As experiences happen, this new information is used to modify, add to or completely change previously existing schemas. For example, a young girl may have a schema about a type of animal, such as a cat. According to her schema, cat's are furry and have four legs. When she first encounters a dog, she might initially believe that the animal is a cat. Once the she learns that this is actually a dog, she will revise her schema for cats and create a new...

Words: 2022 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Mine

...Pragmatic Approach to Morality: A Critical Evaluation of Kohlberg’s Model Dennis L. Krebs and Kathy Denton Simon Fraser University In this article, the authors evaluate L. Kohlberg’s (1984) cognitive– developmental approach to morality, find it wanting, and introduce a more pragmatic approach. They review research designed to evaluate Kohlberg’s model, describe how they revised the model to accommodate discrepant findings, and explain why they concluded that it is poorly equipped to account for the ways in which people make moral decisions in their everyday lives. The authors outline in 11 propositions a framework for a new approach that is more attentive to the purposes that people use morality to achieve. People make moral judgments and engage in moral behaviors to induce themselves and others to uphold systems of cooperative exchange that help them achieve their goals and advance their interests. Keywords: moral development, cognitive development, cooperation, moral judgment After two decades of research on Kohlberg’s (1984) cognitive– developmental model of morality, we abandoned it in favor of a more pragmatic approach. In this article, we explain why. We identify problems with Kohlberg’s model, describe revisions aimed at solving them, and offer reasons why a new approach is necessary. We end with a new beginning, introducing a more pragmatic approach in a set of propositions that, we argue, is better equipped than Kohlberg’s model to account for the ways in which people make...

Words: 20773 - Pages: 84

Premium Essay

Philo

...Moral Issues in Business Chapter Two Normative Theories of Ethics Consequentialist Theories • Egoism - Adam Smith • Egoism is a consequentialist theory. What matters for egoists is the consequences of their actions for themselves. • • Utilitarianism - Bentham and Mill o Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory. Right and wrong depends on the consequences of one’s actions for everyone who might be affected by them. Jeremy Bentham • Bentham was a hedonist. He believed that happiness was a matter of more pleasure and less pain. • Bentham thought you could assign pleasure points to an action according to the following categories: o Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? o Duration: How long will it last? o Certainty: How sure are you that the pleasure will occur? o Proximity: How soon will the happiness occur? o Fecundity: How much more pleasure will this lead to? o Purity: How much pain will be mixed with this pleasure? o Extent: How many people will experience the pleasure? Quality vs. Quantity o Bentham: Pushpin is as good as poetry. o Mill: It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied. o Bentham believed that all pleasures should count equally, but Mill believed that humanity would be better off if the intellectual, moral and aesthetic pleasures were more valued. Principle of Utility o The right action is the one that produces the greatest balance of pleasure over pain, or happiness over unhappiness, for everyone affected by that action. o Animals...

Words: 2579 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Ls312 Final Project Part 1

...------------------------------------------------- Ethics and the Legal Environment: Theories and Moral Development Final Project Part 1 Angalee Payne Ethics and the Legal Environment Angalee Payne Ethics and the Legal Environment As a member of the Energy Cooperative we holds luncheons and public conferences at partner locations throughout the US and couple of cities abroad. United through the web, the Energy Cooperative has 400,000 members worldwide who pay yearly dues to the cooperative. Portion of our dues get sent home for upkeep of the website. All of us members vote on proposals at hand, whether it would be policy changes, purchases over $100, and other matters that affect the cooperative. We meet by conference calls once a month. We are self-employed consultants that have no allegiance to a particular company and must sign an agreement to that affect. The question at hand is can one of the directors call their personal potential clients and state, “I am calling as a director of the Energy Cooperative.” Should we allow the directors state such a thing when calling their clients? Does this affect the Energy Cooperative? What is the best solution? We are going to look over the 5 theories to see if this would be ethical or unethical. We are going to look at the ethical issues that would allow or prevent the Energy Cooperative from doing so. First I will examine John Locke’s Theory of Rights. John Locke’s Theory of Rights tells us the individuals have the right to make...

Words: 1555 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Dreamliner Case

...SUSTAINABILITY INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT: BEHAVIORAL ETHICS: A CRITIQUE AND A PROPOSAL NUR AZUWA BINTI OTHMAN MBS141051 LECTURER’S NAME: DR ABUL QUASEM 20 MAY 2015 Summary The article depicts the argument whether there is a need in behavioural ethics to change our understanding from the influence of contemporary moral psychology and back to management theorist, in which Goshal expressed his opinion that moral is fundamental. Philosophical work of Emmanuel Levinas is then constructed to test on the metaphysical concern. Levinas viewed that essential moral character of human life and the reality of human agency as ontologically fundamental or to put simply, ethical is the “first cause” in regard to understand the nature and action of the individual. Problem Statement 1) The search for a definition of moral personhood which explains the moral-judgement-moral action gap For the past 10 years, researchers have worked to express definition of moral personhood and at the same time address the moral-judgment and moral-action gap. This gap represent the imbalance between an individual’s moral judgment and the action that follows this judgment. 2) The search for the nature and role of the primitive evaluative processes in moral judgement and action Hoffman (1970) and Eisenberg (1986) has come up with their theories that role emotion play important role in moral behaviour. However different views have arose to explain which component of moral judgement is mainly responsible for...

Words: 1506 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Moral Development

...Stages of Moral Development According to Kohlberg Stages of Moral Development by Lawrence Kohlberg (1971) I. Pre-conventional Level At this level, the child is responsive to cultural rules and labels of good and bad, right or wrong, but he interprets the labels in terms of either the physical or hedonistic consequences of action (punishment, reward, exchange of favors) or the physical power of those who enunciate the rules and labels. The level is divided into the following three stages: Stage 0: Egocentric judgement. The child makes judgements of good on the basis of what he likes and wants or what helps him, and bad on the basis of what he does not like or what hurts him. He has no concept of rules or of obligations to obey or conform independent of his wish. Stage 1: The punishment and obedience orientation. The physical consequences of action determine its goodness or badness regardless of the human meaning or value of these consequences. Avoidance of punishment and unquestioning deference to power are values in their own right, not in terms of respect for an underlying moral order supported by punishment and authority (the latter is stage 4). Stage 2: The instrumental relativist orientation. Right action consists of what instrumentally satisfies one's own needs and occasionally the needs of others. Human relations are viewed in terms such as those of the market place. Elements of fairness, reciprocity, and equal sharing are present, but they are always...

Words: 5329 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Personal Responsibility and College Success

...left the Marines I felt I needed to apply 3 key elements to be successful. These key elements are personal responsibility, learning style and persistency. What is Personal Responsibility? What is personal responsibility? To me personal responsibility is to be accountable for oneself and the people around you, in most any situation, there is no other person to hold accountable for your life than yourself. Everything we do is a direct reflection of your personality and the decisions you make. Kohlberg said, “Most theories of moral cognition focus on cognitive processes such as reasoning and judging” (as quoted in Swaner, 2005, p.1). Kohlberg’s model depicts a progression in moral reasoning from a centeredness in the needs of the self, to a growing awareness of community norms and expectations, and then to the development of universal moral principles such as justice” (as quoted in Swaner, 2005, p.1). In summary when...

Words: 817 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Peds Observation

...develops rapidly, and the child may know thousands of words and is able to construct rather complicated sentences by the end of this period. The major tasks of the preschool child include preparation to enter school, the development of a cooperative-type play, control of body functions, acceptance of separation, and increase in communication skills, memory, and attention span (Leifer, 2003, p. 422). Erikson’s preschool stage involves the development of initiative (Leifer, 2003, p. 436). He believed that a preschool child learns assertiveness and can manipulate the environment. Kohlberg’s theory concerning preschoolers refers to the moral development and the beginning awareness of needs of others (Leifer, 2003, p. 436). He stated that a preschool child believes that rules are absolute, and breaking rules result in punishment. The Five-Year-Old: Nutrition and Piaget’s theory in relation to nutrition • Picky eater; likes finger foods • Food is described by color, shape, and quantity. • Foods tend to be classed as “like” and “don’t like.” • Eating becomes less the center of attention. Physical Development • Height may increase by 2 to 3 inches; slender appearance • They may gain 3 to 6 pounds • Deciduous teeth erupt, and baby teeth start to fall out Language and Thinking...

Words: 1198 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Gender Identity

...preschool years. "By the age of two, children consistently label themselves and those around them as male or female" (Feldman, 2011). Preschoolers are very rigid in their beliefs about gender-appropriate behavior. These beliefs become more pronounced by the age of five years. By age seven years the beliefs are still there, although less rigid. Preschooler's ideas of stereotypical behavior are compared to those of traditional adults. Preschoolers develop a gender schema, "a cognitive framework that organizes information relevant to gender"(Feldman, 2011). For example, a preschool boy may refuse to wear makeup in a school play because he knows that makeup is for girls only. In 1966, Lawrence Kohlberg proposed a cognitive-developmental theory, which explains the rigidity of preschoolers as their understanding of gender, and gender appropriate behavior (Feldman, 2011). Shuvo Ghosh states that the development of gender identity "clearly begins in the intrauterine stage". He attributes this to hormone production and surges during the development of the fetus. Initially, all human fetuses appear to be female. During the eighth week of development, fetuses with the testes determining factor (TDF), begin to develop testicles. This is in part due to the surge of testosterone that takes place. "Further progression toward the eventual male phenotype occurs as antimullerian hormone is produced,...

Words: 3635 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Family Counseling Approach

...Family Counseling Approach: Narrative Lisa R. Murray Liberty University Online Abstract Narrative therapy is a therapeutic approach that is used alone or in conjunction with other methods of therapy. This particular method of therapy is used in family therapy to help clients focus on gaining access to preferred story lines in reference to their lives and identities the family dynamics that may affect them. The preferred story line will replace the place of the previous negative and self-defeating narratives about themselves.   Helping clients within a family counseling to begin to become the author of their own story is important in many cases to overcoming multigenerational affects. Narrative therapy aids in this process. This comprehensive evaluation of narrative therapy within the structure of family therapy and the integration of faith will be constructed in the following pages. Keywords: self-defeating, Narrative therapy, multigenerational, therapeutic Introduction Narrative therapy is considered apart of the Social Construction Model.   This particular type of therapy, the counselor or therapist is not a dominant entity or focal point of the process. Instead the therapist is seen as an influential individual to the client.   The counselor will aid the client with the process of internalization and the creation of new stories or narratives within themselves that help them to draw new assumptions about themselves. This is done through the process of the client...

Words: 3758 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Cpa - Ethnic Index Semester 2 2011

...SEMESTER 2 2011 CPA 118 ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE CPA - ETHNIC SEMESTER 2 2011 MODULE 1 ACCOUNTING AND SOCIETY 1.05 1.05 Part A: Ineraction with society Depictions of A/cting Depiction Defeating depictions defeat Fig 1.1 new bean counter How to become professional? 3 aspects 1.06 Recruiting the best Beard(1994),Smith and Briggs(1999) and Simnik and Felton(2006) Friedman& Lyne(2001);Albrecht and Sack(2000);Coate et al.(2003) Jeacle: colourful accountant linked to corporate collapses 1.07 Moral agency Biddle(2006) Value creation - key to maintain high standards Moral agent - refer to individual making moral judgement for others Moral agent theory based on concept " act appropriotely and professionally" 1.08 Technical functions and social impact Understanding A/cting A/cting defination - Macquarie Dictionary - Technical practice - bookkeeping Not Prefect def - AAA(American A/cting Association) -communication skill… 1.09 Social impact of A/cting + impact - based on historic A/cting info professional capabilities - technical knowledge,soft skill & experience 1.10 Social impact example - A/cting and the GFC "mark-to market" Lonergan (2009) - if A/cting causative factor in GFC 2008/2009 1.11 Q 1.1 Logergan 'standard setters'slow reaction only cause GFC ? NO How wisdom come out? - experience /knowledge Distinguishing feature - building relevant wisdom over time Parker et al. (1989) - induce other behaviour Miller(1994) - intrinsically and inredeemable social impact IMPACT Macro level:...

Words: 3786 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Feminist Moral Theory

...Feminist Moral Philosophies Do men and women have different morals perspective? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines morals as: of relating to the principles of right and wrong in behavior: ethical (Merriam-Webster, 2013). I would venture to say that if asked, 9 out 10 people will answer, “yes”, for different reasons. A large number of feminist seem to believe so as well. All beliefs are influenced by something, as children, the influence usually comes from our parents or whoever we are raised by. In saying that, morals are introduced to us as youth. As we evolve into young adults we encounter other influences, decide what makes most sense to us as individuals, and we start to develop our own morals/ethics. Some influences, primarily religious beliefs, are imbedded in us for a lifetime (in most cases, not all). Our surroundings also play a large part in our moral approach. In the book Elements of Philosophy it was explained that psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg developed a scenario that was presented to random individuals in order to gage their moral beliefs (Rachels, 1986-2010). The scenario involved a guy whose wife was fatally ill. The guy knew a pharmacist who was selling a medication that could cure his wife’s illness. The pharmacist was selling the drug for significantly more money than what it cost to produce the drug and more than what the husband could afford. The pharmacist would not agree to sell the medicine to the husband for any less than the offered price and would...

Words: 1347 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Wilma Rudolph Biography

...Abstract: This paper presents a summary of Wilma Rudolph’s life, paying specific attention to the bio-social-psycho-spiritual-cultural framework discussed in SWO 351. This paper also uses a theory taken from “Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment” by Charles H. Zastrow and Karen K. Kirst-Ashman, 2007. This paper provides a basic overview of the framework and how it affected Wilma Rudolph’s life from childhood through middle adulthood and death. It allows the reader to grasp a better understanding of Wilma’s life by examining specific events in her lifetime that held significance in her adulthood development. Wilma Rudolph is most well-known for her extreme success in track and field. What is most ground-breaking about Wilma and her success is the fact that she was a woman succeeding in what was considered at that time a “man’s sport.” She broke many records, but most importantly was the first American woman to win three gold medals during the same summer Olympics. Wilma had faced many troubles throughout her life, from illness and disabilities to insecurities and friendship issues. However, the most difficult time in her life was not the obstacles she overcame to reach her success but the point in her life after all of that- the point when she went back to reality. Throughout this paper I will discuss how the bio-social-psycho-spiritual-cultural framework had affected Wilma throughout her lifetime, ultimately influencing the person she turned out to be...

Words: 2743 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Ethnic 2011 Index

...SEMESTER 2 2011 CPA 118 ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE MODULE 1 ACCOUNTING AND SOCIETY 1.05 1.05 Part A: Ineraction with society Depictions of A/cting Depiction=描述 Defeating depictions defeat =挫败 Fig 1.1 new bean counter How to become professional? 3 aspects 1.06 Recruiting the best Beard(1994),Smith and Briggs(1999) and Simnik and Felton(2006) Friedman& Lyne(2001);Albrecht and Sack(2000);Coate et al.(2003) Jeacle: colourful accountant linked to corporate collapses 1.07 Moral agency Biddle(2006) Value creation - key to maintain high standards Moral agent - refer to individual making moral judgement for others Moral agent theory based on concept " act appropriotely and professionally" 1.08 Technical functions and social impact Understanding A/cting A/cting defination - Macquarie Dictionary - Technical practice - bookkeeping Not Prefect def - AAA(American A/cting Association) -communication skill… 1.09 Social impact of A/cting + impact - based on historic A/cting info professional capabilities - technical knowledge,soft skill & experience 1.10 Social impact example - A/cting and the GFC "mark-to market" Lonergan (2009) - if A/cting causative factor in GFC 2008/2009 1.11 Q 1.1 Logergan 'standard setters'slow reaction only cause GFC ? NO How wisdom come out? - experience /knowledge Distinguishing feature - building relevant wisdom over time Parker et al. (1989) - induce other behaviour Miller(1994) - intrinsically and inredeemable social impact IMPACT Macro level: all types of business...

Words: 3783 - Pages: 16