Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

1. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Introduce Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

2. Developing Through the Life SpanKolberg’s Theory of Moral DevelopmentErikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Develeopment Chapter 4

3. Adolescence Life between childhood and adulthood. AP Photo/ Jeff Chiu

4. Brain Development Until puberty, neurons increase their connections. However, at adolescence, selective pruning of the neurons begins. Unused neuronal connections are lost to make other pathways more efficient.

5. Morality As our thinking matures, so does our behavior in that we become less selfish and more caring. People who engage in doing the right thing develop empathy for others and the self-discipline to resist their own impulses.

6. Kohlberg 3 Basic Levels of Moral Thinking • Preconventional Morality: Before age 9, children show morality to avoid punishment or gain reward. • Conventional Morality: By early adolescence, social rules and laws are upheld for their own sake. • Postconventional Morality: Affirms people’s agreed-upon rights or follows personally perceived ethical principles.

7. Activity In Europe, a woman was near death from a very bad disease, a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was from a radium that a druggist in the same town has recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging 10 times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2000 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 get together only about $1000. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. Bt the druggist said, “no, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.” Heinz got desperate and broke into the druggist’s store to steal the drug for his wife.

8. Activity • Preconventional Morality • 1.  Avoids punishment—“Heinz’s father-in-law might make big trouble for him if he let his wife die.” • 2.  Gains rewards—“Heinz will have someone to fix fine dinners for him if his wife lives.”

9. Activity • Conventional Morality • 3.  Gains approval/avoids disapproval—“What would people think of Heinz if he lets his wife die?” • 4.  Does duty to support society/avoids dishonor or guilt—“Heinz must live up to his marriage vow of protecting his wife.”

10. Activity • Postconventional Morality • 5.  Affirms agreed-upon rights—“Everyone agrees that people have the right to live.” • 6.  Abstract, autonomous moral principle—“Saving a life takes precedence over everything else, including the law.”