Moral development theories

The focus of moral development is on how morality emerges, changes, and

becomes understood from birth to maturity. The phases of moral growth are a topic
of study for many academics. For instance, psychoanalysis's father Freud (1962)
proposed that there is a conflict between societal demands and personal wants.
Freud believed that a person's egoistic goals are suppressed and replaced by the
values of significant socialization elements in his life. This is when moral growth
takes place. By the turn of the 20th century, Kolberg had developed a methodical
chain of three levels and six phases that mirrored his evolving moral standards
over the course of his life. A theory that focuses on how children acquire morality
and moral reasoning about things is called Kohlberg's theory of moral
development.Kohlberg maintained, in particular, that such growth results from a
self-centered desire to avoid punishment (personal), concern for the work of the
community (public), and continuously uphold universal ethical standards (moral).
How Kohlberg Developed His Theory

The moral conundrums that Kohlberg presented to his participants served as the
foundation for his theory. One of the most famous example was "Heinz Steals the
Drug", in other word, the Heinz Dilemma. One of the best-known of Kohlberg’s
(1958) stories concerns a man called Heinz who lived somewhere in Europe.
In this case, the woman is diagnosed with cancer and her physicians are confident
that she can only be saved by one drug. The local pharmacist who found this
medication was able to make it for $200 per dose and sell it for $2,000 each dose.
Heinz, the wife's husband, was only able to raise $1,000 to get the medication.
He made an effort to haggle with the pharmacist for a lesser cost or a longer
repayment period for the loan. The pharmacist, however, refused to take a discount
or partial payment. After being rejected, Heinz chose to break into a pharmacy and
steal drugs to rescue his wife. "Should the husband have done it?" Kolberg
questioned.
Kohlberg then divided their arguments into categories based on his theory of moral
evolution, asking them things like: Should Heinz have stolen the drug?
If Heinz hadn't loved his wife, would everything have been different?
Would it have mattered if the dying guy had been a stranger?
If a lady is killed, should the police charge a pharmacist with murder?
Kolberg was more concerned in the reasoning behind each participant's choice than
whether Heinz was in the right or wrong.
STAGES OF HIS MORALITY

Preconventional morality, level 1

Developing morality starts with pre-confessional morality. It is capable of lasting
up to nine years. At this age, rules and penalties for breaking them influence
children's decisions more than adult expectations. Children respect authority in
others. "Any activity that results in punishment must be evil. It ought to be
beneficial if it results in a reward.This level has the following two phases:
Stage 1 (obedience and punishment): Obedience and punishment are prevalent in
young children during this period of moral development, although adults are also
capable of making analogous judgements. Kolberg claims that throughout this
time, people consider the laws to be unalterable and unchangeable.
Conventional Morality, Level 2
The emergence of social laws governing right and wrong is a sign of the next step
in moral growth. Adolescents and adults learn the moral principles they have
absorbed from society and their role models throughout this period.This stage also
focuses on sustaining group norms and accepting authority. Children think that
what is acceptable or undesirable behavior is determined by the social norms and
expectations of others. Our conceptions of good and evil should be influenced by a
social structure that reflects the importance of communication and social
order.There are two phases of morality at this level:
Stage 3 (formation of excellent interpersonal connections): Also known as the
"good boy-good girl" orientation, this stage of moral development of interpersonal
relationships aims to conform to societal expectations and roles.Here, the emphasis
is on conformity, being "cute," and examining how relationships are affected by
decisions.
The goal of stage 4 (maintenance of social order) is to guarantee the continuity of
social order. People start to think broadly about society at this point in their moral
growth. By abiding by the law, doing their jobs, and respecting the authorities,
people may help keep the peace.
Postconventional Morality, Level 3
At this stage of moral growth, individuals learn to comprehend the impersonal
moral principles. Two phases exist at this level:
level 5 (social consent and personal rights): At this level, people are forced to
consider how their own values, attitudes, and beliefs may differ from those of
others. For society to function, the rules of the law are crucial, but everyone in
society must accept them.Stage 6 (Universal principles): Kohlberg's moral thinking
is based on abstract judgements and universal ethical principles at this stage. At
this point, even when laws and rules conflict, individuals nevertheless uphold these
acquired ideals of justice.

Kolberg calculated that only a very small proportion of individuals (about 10%–
15%) reached the Post-Confessional phase.The first and fourth phases are universal
across all groups, while the fifth and sixth phases are incredibly rare across all
populations, claims one study.

Kohlberg's theory played an important role in the development of moral

psychology. Although the theory had a great impact, some aspects of it have been
criticized for several reasons:
Moral reasoning is not equivalent to moral behavior: Kohlberg's theory is related to
moral thinking, but there is a big difference between knowing what we should do
and our actual actions. Thus, moral reasoning may not lead to moral behavior.
Excessive attention to justice: critics have noted that Kohlberg's theory of moral
development overestimates the concept of justice when making moral decisions.
Factors such as compassion, care, and other interpersonal feelings can play an
important role in moral judgment.

Cultural bias: Individualistic cultures place more emphasis on the rights of the
individual, whereas collective cultures place more emphasis on the value of society
and community. There could be other moral perspectives present in Eastern
collective cultures that Kohlberg's theory does not account for.
The majority of the individuals were younger than 16 and didn't appear to have any
prior marital experience. Children could find Heinz's conundrum to be too abstract,
and a situation more relevant to their day-to-day worries would have different
outcomes.
Gender bias: Given that all of Kohlberg's sample participants were men, several
opponents of his thesis claimed that his theory was gender biased. According to
Kohlberg, women frequently remain in the third stage of moral growth because
they place a greater emphasis on interpersonal connections and other people's
welfare.