1. Chapter 13 – Moral Development, Values, and Religion
A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development, 7th edition John W. Santrock
Chapter 13 –
Moral Development, Values, and Religion
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2. Domains of Moral Development
Changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding standards of right and wrong
Intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions
Piaget’s theory
Heteronomous morality (Ages 4-7)
Rules and justice as unchangeable, removed from people’s control
Transition from ages 7-10 years
Autonomous morality (Ages 10+)
Aware that rules and laws are created by people, and in judging action, consider intentions and consequences
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3. Domains of Moral Development
Kohlberg’s theory
Universal stages of moral development
Perspective taking and experience of conflict between one’s stage and higher moral reasoning of others advances moral development
Preconventional reasoning
Lowest level of moral reasoning
Good and bad interpreted according to external reward and punishment
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4. Domains of Moral Development
Stage 1: Heteronomous morality
Moral thinking is tied to punishment
Stage 2: Individualism, instrumental purpose, and exchange
Individuals pursue their own interests but also let others do the same
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5. Domains of Moral Development
Conventional reasoning
Intermediate level in Kohlberg’s theory
Individuals apply certain standards that are set by others, such as parents or government
Stage 3: Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity
Individuals value trust, caring, and loyalty to others as basis of moral judgment
Stage 4: Social systems morality
Judgments based on understanding social order, law, justice, and duty
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6. Domains of Moral Development
Postconventional reasoning
Highest level in Kohlberg’s theory
Individual recognizes alternative moral courses, explores options, then decides on a personal moral code
Stage 5: Social contract or utility and individual rights
Individuals reason that values, rights, and principles undergird or transcend the law
Stage 6: Universal ethical principle
Individuals develop a moral standard based on universal human rights
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7. Heinz Steals the Drug
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to
make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said: “No, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife. Should the husband have done that? (Kohlberg, 1963, p. 19)

8. Domains of Moral Development
Levels and stages occur sequentially and are age-related
Before age 9, children use stage 1 preconventional reasoning
Most adolescents reason at stage 3
By early adulthood, a small number of individuals reason in postconventional ways
Moral stages appeared somewhat later than Kohlberg envisioned
Reasoning at higher stages, especially stage 6, is rare
Copyright McGraw-Hill Education, 2014

9. Domains of Moral Development
Kohlberg’s theory criticized for placing emphasis on moral thought and not enough on moral behavior
Some critics claim that his theory is culturally biased
As Kohlberg predicted, individuals do move through stages in sequence
Stages 5 and 6 have not been found in all cultures
Cohort effects in moral reasoning
Postconventional reasoning has declined in college students down to lowest level
Declines in prosocial behavior in recent years in Western cultures
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10. Domains of Moral Development
Parents may play larger role in moral development than Kohlberg imagined
Parent-child communication, discipline techniques, and other aspects of parental relationship influence children’s moral development
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11. Domains of Moral Development
Gilligan’s theory
Kohlberg’s theory is based on male norms that put abstract principles above relationships and concern for others
Justice perspective at the heart of morality
Care perspective emphasizes connectedness with others, interpersonal communication, social relationships, and concern for others
Girls consistently interpret moral dilemmas in terms of human relationships
Base interpretations on listening and watching other people
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12. Domains of Moral Behavior
Processes of reinforcement, punishment, and imitation have been used to explain how individuals learn moral behavior
Effectiveness of reward and punishment depend on consistency and timing
Effectiveness of modeling depend on characteristics of the model and cognitive skills of observer
Individuals do not consistently display moral behavior in different situations
Behavior is situationally dependent
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13. Domains of Moral Behavior
Social cognitive theory of morality
Distinguishes between moral competence and moral performance
Moral competence – ability to perform moral behaviors
Moral performance – performing of moral behaviors
Moral development is best understood by a combination of social and cognitive factors
Especially self-control
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14. Domains of Moral Behavior
Freud’s perspective
Guilt and desire to avoid feeling guilty are foundation of moral behavior
Ego ideal
Component of superego that rewards the child by conveying a sense of pride and personal value when acting in accordance to ideal standards approved by parents
Conscience
Punishes the child for behaviors disapproved by parents
Makes the child feel guilty and worthless
Freud’s claims cannot be verified
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