CONSCIENCE
What Is Conscience? INVOLVES THE FORMATION OF A CONSISTENT VALUE SYSTEM… …ON WHICH TO BASE DECISIONS CONCERNING BEHAVIORS CONCERNED WITH INDIVIDUALS MAKING DISTINCTIONS ABOUT “RIGHT” AND “WRONG,” OR “GOOD” AND “BAD.”
LAWRENCE KOHLBERG Jean Piaget – showed children go through different developmental stages in learning to reason Kohlberg took this idea and applied it to the development of conscience
KOHLBERG’S DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT Level one – pre-conventional morality – applies to children four to ten 1.Obedience and punishment stage motivation - “I don’t say bad words because mommy will punish me.” 2.Instrumental- relativist stage motivation - the need to get what one wants “If I pick up my toys I can watch TV.”
Level two -- conventional morality – applies to pre-teens to adults 3.Good boy/good girl stage motivation - a desire to avoid rejection (peer pressure) 4.Law and order stage (normal adult orientation) motivation - to abide by the law and obedience to duty
Level three – post-conventional morality – not reached by all people – 5. Social contract stage – motivation – (Universal Principles) - respect for the community/genuine respect for the good of all/respect for social order 6.Individual makes moral judgments based on universal principles and own conscience