Moral Development PDF

# Moral Development - Every day, people are confronted with various dilemmas. - It requires one to decide on what kind of action or response to make. - It is easy for one to respond to a difficult situation, while in some cases, choosing the best response is difficult. ## Moral - Related to a sen...

# Moral Development - Every day, people are confronted with various dilemmas. - It requires one to decide on what kind of action or response to make. - It is easy for one to respond to a difficult situation, while in some cases, choosing the best response is difficult. ## Moral - Related to a sense or standard that determines what is right and what is wrong. - It distinguishes correct/right/good from incorrect/wrong/evil from inappropriate. ## Dilemma - A problematic/complex situation in which a difficult choice must be made. - The kind of responses taken or made when one is in a quandary/predicament (confusion/doubt) serves as a good test of a person's level of moral development. ## Morality - Refers to a system of beliefs and values. - Ensures that individuals will keep their obligations to others in society and behave in ways that do not interfere with the right and interests of others. ## Decision-Making - Understandably difficult, the degree of which depends on the situation. - An individual who has a good sense of what is right and wrong will be an honest and upright member of the community, possessing a better moral self. ## Moral Reasoning - It refers to the judgment people make about what courses of action are correct or incorrect, in particular situations. - Reasoning is a cognitive skill, but influences moral development ## Lawrence Kohlberg - Came up with the Theory of Moral Development by studying the concept of moral reasoning. - This theory is shaped by and tied to Piaget's Stages of Intellectual Development. ## Piaget's Stages of Intellectual Development | Stage | Description | Age | |---|---|---| | Sensorimotor | The child begins to interact with the environment. | 0-2 years | | Preoperational | The child begins to represent the world symbolically. | 2-6 or 7 years | | Concrete Operational | The child learns rules, such as conservation. | 7-11 or 12 years | | Formal Operational | The adolescent can transcend the concrete, think about the future. | 12-Adulthood | ## Piaget's Stages of Intellectual Development (Description) - **Sensorimotor stage**: The child learns and develops knowledge about his/her environment by relating sensory experiences to motor action. - **Preoperational stage**: The child learns to use symbols like words or mental images to solve simple problems. - **Concrete Operations stage**: The child develops the ability to perform a number of logical operations on concrete objects that are present. - **Formal Operations stage**: The individual acquires the ability to solve abstract problems in a logical manner. - The evolution of one's sense of right and wrong in making decisions depends on his/her level of intellectual development. - This connection implies that advanced levels of intellectual development are associated with higher stages of moral development ## Parenting Styles and Practices - One other factor which affects an individual's development is environmental influence. - This is the external forces outside of the individual person. ## Parenting Styles - Known as the parent's strategies. - **Diana Baumrind** states there are 3 parenting styles: ## 4 Parenting Styles | Style | Description | |---|---| | Authoritative | | | Authoritarian | | | Permissive | | | Uninvolved | | ## Parenting Styles (Description) - **Authoritarian**: Parents attempt to shape, control, and evaluate the behaviors and attitudes of their children in accordance with an absolute or respected authorities. Obedience becomes a virtue. - **Authoritative**: Parents direct their children's activities in a rational and intelligent way. They are supportive, loving, and committed, supporting a give-and-take relationship. They discuss their rules and policies with children and encourage them to present their viewpoints. - **Permissive**: Parents are less controlling and behave with an accepting and non-punishing attitude towards their children's desires, actions, and impulses. - **Uninvolved or Neglectful**: Parents take on a hands-off stand in the affairs of their children. ## Effects of Parenting Styles - **Authoritarian Parents**: Are demanding and their children have less behavioral problems which are easily prevented. Children reared under autocratic parents tend to become withdrawn, fearful, and dependent. Children may suffer from low self-esteem. - **Authoritative Parents**: Have children who are independent, reliable, rational, and confident. These children generally feel good about themselves. - **Permissive Parents**: Rarely impose rules and are non-punishing. They tend to have children who do not put structure and order in things that they do. For these children, anything goes. - **Uninvolved Parents**: Are detached and indifferent to the needs of their children. Children grow up feeling unloved and cannot follow instructions. Some fall prey or sort to substance abuse as a form of distraction or a way to get attention.