Moral Reasoning

1
Moral Reasoning

• Lawrence Kohlbergs Theory

2
Lawrence Kohlberg

• Jewish American
• WWII veteran in European Theatre
• Lied about age to volunteer for Army
• Among first Am. GIs to see the camps
• Walking skeletons, Human bones in the furnace,
• Cypress Camps after WWII
• Returned to school to study Psychology
• How could people do this to people?
• How could they think that this was ok?

3
The Research Technique

• Kohlbergs Experiment
• Interviewed children of various ages
• Interviewed adults of different ages
• Presented them with a moral dilemma
• See overhead example of Fred Marcy
• There is no correct answer
• Answer is irrelevant to Kohlberg
• Kohlberg noted HOW an answer was being arrived at
• What reasoning did they use to decide?

4
Stages of Moral Reasoning

• Level One Preconventional (Personal Impact)
• Stage 1 Punishment/Obedience
• It is wrong, if you are punished for it.
• Physical consequences
• A big punishment then means what to a child?
• Stage 2 Personal Reward
• It is right if I benefit from it
• Personal needs are most important
• Magnitude of the benefit tells what about the
  action?

5
Stages of Moral Reasoning

• Level Two Conventional (Personal Approval)
• Stage 3 Good Boy/Good Girl
• If I do this, Mommy will think Im a good
  boy/girl
• Right wrong reasoned based on others approval
• Pre-pubescent- Approval of authority figures
• Post-pubescent- Approval of peers
• Stage 4 Law Order
• Because its against the Law!
• Laws are absolute, no gray areas or chaos will
  erupt
• Family obligations?

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Stages of Moral Reasoning

• Level Three Post-Conventional (Personal
  Interpretation)
• Stage 5 Social Contract
• Given my situation I had no other choice!
• Laws are attempts at morality but are still
  contrived.
• Meant for most situations but not all situations
• Stage 6 Universal Ethic
• Always right?
• Always wrong?

7
Kohlbergs Theory in Practice

• Classroom discipline
• How does it inform how to deal with children?
• Preschool?
• Primary?
• Middle School?
• Secondary?

8
Critiques of Kohlberg

• Limited research to boys
• Carol Gilligan
• Feminist Theorist
• Females develop differently than boys
• Harmony of the group
• Responsibility
• Caring for others
• See overhead