Compare And Contrast Kohlberg's Theory Of Moral Development

When it comes to defining morality and establishing the difference between right and wrong, there are several different approaches. One might ask who is responsible for distinguishing between right and wrong and ultimately what is moral and immoral. Is this concept different between individuals? Is it different between cultures? In Julia Driver’s 2007 piece, “God and Human Nature”, theories are discussed in order to convey a better understanding of morality and how it is determined. The theory to be discussed is the “Divine Command Theory” and Driver discusses the role of God in assessing morality.

There is an innumerable amount of dilemmas being debated around the world, such as the morality of the death penalty, the ideas of euthanizing human beings and the thoughts on legalizing marijuana. There is also a vast variety of people in the world, who have different opinions on each of these issues or none at all. These opinions may develop from family or cultural backgrounds, but it is the individual who in the end chooses between the values that he or she has lived by or a developed view of his or her own. As Lawrence Kohlberg puts it, there are three stages of moral development: pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Pre-conventional can be described as the stage where opinions are based off of parents and elders. The subject does not exactly have a say of his or her own because it is not an individual idea. Pre-conventional attitudes usually last up until about nine years of age. The next stage is the stage that most people stop at. Conventional morality is morality based on being practical and adhering to social norms through this realistic approach. Most people stop at this point because it is how society has been built. Social norms have put boundaries on morality that

Philippa Foot presented a series of moral dilemmas when she discussed abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect. One famous problem of her was the trolley dilemma: “..he is the driver of a runaway tram which he can only steer from one narrow track onto another; five men are working on one track and one on the other; anyone the tack he enters is bound to be killed.” (Foot, 1967, p. 2) What should the driver do? Despite what he does, he will harm someone!1

“preconventional morality, roughly corresponding to Piaget’s heteronomous level, in which what is right is what avoids punishment, what conforms to the dictates of authority, or what serves one’s personal interests (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p. 278). Although it seems today that these experiences were small events in my life. During this time, I was as old as I have ever been and lacked the ability to step away and see the large picture of things. According to Vygotsky they were critical to my overall development because they emphasized independent development through social interactions contribution to overall cognitive development (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p.

Piaget thinks that his theory of cognitive development is clear and that it’s the only perspective that should viewed as correct. He explains how children go through the four stages based on advancement and background and their development occurs in stages. He also believes that children’s physical and social environment is important in children’s cognitive development. He believes that children are active learners who gain knowledge from their surroundings. Children learn through taking in there surrounding and modifications, and multiple cognitive development occurs through collaboration. Piaget’s thinks that children and adolescent’s cognitive development explains the changes in logical thinking.

The word morality is is defined as ;The quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct(TheFreeDictionary.com, 2015). To be moral is to be: capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct(Dictionary.com, 2015). From birth we are taught that we should not do this, and we should not do that. But, how did our parents learn that that is right or wrong? It is through years and years of folklore and folk wisdom as well as oral traditions that have been passed down throughout the years. Our fore fathers have set for us many moral codes and regulations but inevitably we disobey them. The aim of this research paper is to obtain a better understanding , towards ‘ What causes

The definition of morality is principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour.

A desire for meaning would also include obtaining some kind of “identity,” or individualism. Yet, society or someone will try to force their “ideal” moral system onto everyone else. “Thinking may be “good for nothing” in the world, but in the mind it is good for guidance—not legislation, but guidance” (Bruehl 193). If you base your moral standards off everyone else’s, even when in truth you think in a different way, then in the eyes of an existentialist, you have been degraded and reduced to an object. “We must act and judge in ways that do not violate the actually existing solidarity of mankind” (Bruehl 193). The main protagonist in Albert Camus’ the Stranger, ends up being sent

Piaget proposed a stage theory of cognitive development. Kohlberg posited a model of moral development or moral reasoning based on many of Piaget's

In the end, William Golding's book Lord Of the Flies Freuds theory is shown by how the kids act as they turn from well behaved boys to bloodthirsty hunters with no desire to return to civilization.

Questions of morality are abstract and extremely touchy. They are subject to enduring debates regarding its origins, nature, and limits, with no possibility of a consensus. Although the theories on morality often pursue diverse angles, among the most interesting ones that have come up in recent times revolve around the question whether human beings are born with an innate moral sense. Some scholars hold the view that humans are born with an inherent sense of morality while others believe the opposite that humans are not born with an innate moral sense holds true. By using Steven Pinker’s The Blank Slate and Paul Bloom’s Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil, this essay will analyze the opinions advanced by both sides of the theories. In

Morality has long been used by human being as a basis for their actions. Believers of God think that doing good deeds is being moral and thus these actions will save them from their sins. They believe that following God’s will, that is the 10 commandments and in the new commandments stated in the New Testament is the written and visible basis for these actions found in the Holy Bible. .

Social Cognitive Theory by Jean Piaget. According to Piaget, children are born with a very basic mental structure (genetically inherited and evolved) on which all subsequent learning and knowledge is based. It is concerned with children, rather than all learners. It focuses on development, rather than learning per se, so it does not address learning of information or specific behaviors. It proposes discrete stages of development, marked by qualitative differences, rather than a gradual increase in number and complexity of behaviors, concepts, ideas, etc. The goal of the theory is to explain the mechanisms and processes by which the infant, and then the child, develops into an individual who can reason and think using hypotheses. To Piaget, cognitive development was a progressive reorganization of mental processes as a result of biological maturation and environmental experience. Children construct an understanding of the world around them, then experience discrepancies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment. Both Piaget and Vygotsky provided highly influential theories which had impact on the way children are taught. However, as with every theory and study, there are pro’s and con’s to be highlighted. I will first evaluate Jean Piaget’s theory, followed by Lev Vygotsky. I will then compare and contrast the two with each other, showing the main similarities and differences between the two. Vygotsky's theory differs from that of Piaget in a number of important ways: 1: Vygotsky places more emphasis on culture affecting/shaping cognitive development - this contradicts Piaget's view of universal stages and content of development. (Vygotsky does not refer to stages in the way that Piaget does). (i) Hence Vygotsky assumes cognitive development varies across cultures, whereas Piaget states cognitive development is mostly universal across cultures. 2: Vygotsky places considerably more emphasis on social factors contributing to

Exploring the definition of a professional moral compass, leads one in many different directions. One must first define the meaning of morality. For the purpose of this paper, morality will be defined as the guidelines for behavior that describe, “the way things ought to be and what type of things we should value” (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011, p. 6). Values are described as those things one holds dear and moral values are those things that are “needed for morality to survive and thrive” (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011, p. 6). Morality is built on relationships, and designed for people to live in peace with each other. One acquires morality from their family, their friends, education, and life experiences. It is deeply rooted, and often referred to as

Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who regarded cognitive development as a maturational process (Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2010). Piaget constructed his conclusions through the observation of his own children and children at his Centre of Genetic Epistemology in Geneva. Piaget observed that children depend on an altered type of thinking when compared to the way in which adults think. A child’s thinking is qualitatively different than an adult’s thinking. Through his study, Piaget found that children of a similar age are inclined to behave in a similar manner and make similar mistakes when problem-solving. According to Piaget, as children develop they acquire cognitive structures known as schemata and concepts. Schemata are mental representations / rules to help children understand their world and solve problems. Concepts are rules that describe properties of environmental events and their relations to other concepts (Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2007). Children obtain schemata and concepts by engaging with their surroundings. The