Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory Of Moral Development

Entry #1: Lifespan Development - Personal Reflection

A - Theory and Stage

Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental stages. This includes three distinct levels of moral reasoning, each with two sub-stages. Stage one (1) is called Obedience and Punishment, of which this section will be based on. At this stage, children believe that authorities in their lives such as teachers and parents lay down a set of rules that they must indisputably follow. This obedience is compelled by the threat or application of punishment (Kohlberg, 1958). The stage is especially common in young children particularly at the infancy level but adults too can be guilty

I was always aware that my mother’s rules were there but it did not matter to me if I broke these rules once I got pleasure from what I was engaged in and in the end successfully avoiding the typical beating I normally get as punishment. I felt that once I made myself happy without getting trouble, then what I was doing wasn’t necessarily wrong. This happened because I did not understand the true meaning of morals, in fact, I did not even know the word, my thoughts were either be punished or avoid punishment at all cost. As I grew, I tried harder to find ways to avoid punishment so I tried to stick to the rules my mother laid out just so I could avoid being punished more often but I still found myself drifting at times to

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development: Stages of Moral Development. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com.

Kohlberg, L. (1958). The Development of Modes of Thinking and Choices in Years 10 to 16. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Chicago.

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Kohlberg. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html Entry #2: Social Psychology - Gender Identity

A – Overview of Concept

Social psychology is a branch of psychology that studies individuals in the social context (Kong 1996). It deals with the origins and effects of social interactions, influences, and perceptions of an individual. Gender Identity, one concept of social psychology, refers to one’s sense of oneself as male, female or transgender (American Psychological Association, 2006). In other words, gender identity is how one categorizes the gender of which they perceive themselves to belong. Those who identify with the gender that corresponds with the sex assigned at birth (male or female) are referred to as cisgender while those who identify with the gender that is different from the sex assigned at birth are transgender (Boundless, 2016). It is often manifested in the early stages of development and is either deemed acceptable or unacceptable, based on the association to a particular gender category ("Development of Gender Identity", n.d). According to Dr. Shuvo Ghosh, the concept is cohesively linked to the concept of gender role, where behaviors are dictated based