Kohlberg
The Buddha was on to something here. Our moral compass is the driving force for everything we do or don’t do. Even things we say or don’t say. We make decisions daily based on our moral values. In turn they shape the world we live in. In this presentation we aim to present Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Using investigations, observations and case studies will further explain Kohlberg’s Three Levels and Six Stages of Moral Development. The goal is to prove Kohlberg’s theory is still relevant to our world today.
Moral development, a major known theory both in psychology and education was industrialized by leading psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg (1958, 1986). He revised and extended upon Jean Piaget’s work to form a theory that explained the development of moral reasoning. Kohlberg suggested that moral development is a constant process that happens throughout the lifespan. He stressed the relevance of various different occasions. Taking the view of others and momentarily living through someone else’s crisis. Then compare the person’s current stage of moral thinking and the thinking of someone else at a higher stage of development. After 20 years of a distinctive interview style with children, he established his theory. The participants were offered with a series of stories where the characters confronted ethical problems. The children were also interviewed to figure out their thinking behind their decisions of each situation.
The most popular scenario Kohlberg proposed, “The Heinz Dilemma”
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz,
Moral development, a major known theory both in psychology and education was industrialized by leading psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg (1958, 1986). He revised and extended upon Jean Piaget’s work to form a theory that explained the development of moral reasoning. Kohlberg suggested that moral development is a constant process that happens throughout the lifespan. He stressed the relevance of various different occasions. Taking the view of others and momentarily living through someone else’s crisis. Then compare the person’s current stage of moral thinking and the thinking of someone else at a higher stage of development. After 20 years of a distinctive interview style with children, he established his theory. The participants were offered with a series of stories where the characters confronted ethical problems. The children were also interviewed to figure out their thinking behind their decisions of each situation.
The most popular scenario Kohlberg proposed, “The Heinz Dilemma”
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz,
References: Santrock, John W. (2006) Life Span Development (10th ed.) McGraw-Hill & The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (2006) Meditation, Mind & Sport Institute