Moral Development

Growing Morality  Infants  uncomfortable when others are hurt  interest in others  Early Childhood  aware that harmful actions are wrong  cooperation & negotiation begin to develop  Middle Childhood  understand fairness, capacity to feel guilt & shame  more influenced by peers, increasingly prosocial  Adolescence  more advanced reasoning  personal needs & self-interests affect decisions

Early Theories  Begins with external control  Moves to internal control  Freud / Erikson  Behaviorism  Social Learning Theory  Constructivism  Personal preferences  Social conventions  Moral imperatives

Theory of Moral Development  Lawrence Kohlberg  6 stages  Used moral dilemmas to determine

Kohlberg’s Stages  Level One  Stage 1: Punishment-avoidance and obedience  Stage 2: Exchange of favors / self interest  Level Two  Stage 3: Good boy/good girl  Stage 4: Law and order  Level Three  Stage 5: Social contract  Stage 6: Universal ethical principle

Kohlberg’s Dilemma In Europe, a woman was near death from a rare form of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her, a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The druggist was charging $2,000, ten times what the drug cost him to make. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about half of what the drug 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. So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.

Heinz Dilemma Reasoning LEVEL ONE  Stage 1: Punishment avoidance  pro – “Hopefully he won’t get caught.”  con – “He’ll go to jail.”  Stage 2: Exchange of favors/ self-interest  pro – “Heinz will be lonely if his wife dies.”  con – “Prison is an awful place.”

Heinz Dilemma Reasoning LEVEL TWO  Stage 3: Good boy/good girl  pro – “He’ll show what a good husband he is.”  con – “Other people will think he is a bad man.”  Stage 4: Law and order  pro – “A husband has a duty to care for his wife.”  con – “It’s against the law.”

Heinz Dilemma Reasoning LEVEL THREE  Stage 5: Social contract  pro – “The law isn’t intended to cause someone’s death.”  con – “The druggist’s rights aren’t being respected.”  Stage 6: Universal ethical principle  pro – “Saving a life is more important than property.”  con – “If he steals the drug, others who need the drug can’t buy it.”

Gilligan’s Theory Carol Gilligan  Questioned Kohlberg’s theory  Identified 3 stages

Development of Aggression  At what age?  Types of aggression  Instrumental  Hostile  Overt  Relational  Which gender is most aggressive?

Fostering Prosocial Behaviors  Direct teaching  Label appropriate behaviors as they occur  Plan cooperative activities  Expose children to models of prosocial behavior  Clear expectations for behavior  Induction

Discipline vs Punishment  discipline is long-term  fosters self-regulation, respect, problem- solving; fosters internal motivation  punishment is short-term  stops a behavior  positive discipline positive discipline

Discipline Strategies Establish and maintain logical routines Set and maintain clear expectations: clarify wanted behaviors Use the environment to support expectations Offer choices: fewer w/ young children more open-ended for older children Offer opportunities for problem-solving, practice and role-playing Consider how big a deal it is; choose to ignore small transgressions

Setting Limits Acknowledge child’s opinion & wishes Explain your reasoning Model using different perspectives Promote children’s problem-solving; negotiate if appropriate Be consistent Use logical consequences when limits are ignored