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Criticism of Kohlberg's stages of moral development
Influence of ethics on religion
Kohlberg's theory of moral development critic
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As a child I can remember going to church every Sunday, sometimes twice; in the morning and the evening. I would sit in Sunday school and listen to stories from the Bible about right and wrong. As a child I never thought to question the Bible as it was the word of God. My moral compass has roots derived from these standards set forth in the Bible. Lawrence Kohlberg was an American psychologist whose work on moral development identified three major levels (DeGeorge, 22). Little did I know but at the time I was in a pre-conventional development level wherein most of the time I obeyed for fear of God’s punishment and my parents wrath as well.
As I developed into my teen years my actions were as every teenager; rebelling and doing all the things I was told not to do simply because of the fact. Of course the results were a mix of regrets, yet also discovery, about myself and the world around me. As my friendships developed, I found myself wanting their approval so my morality was more conventional obeying only the rules that would make me seem as being a good person by...
The purpose of this paper is to find evidence of Kohlberg 's and Piagets moral stages for adolecents. We are going to ask a teenager a series of different questions in an interview in order to find out where exactly they fit in Kohlberg’s and Piaget’s moral stages and if the fall in the one designated for teenagers, Postconventional and Autonomous morality respectivly. According to these theorist, adolescents are starting to form their own ideas of what is right and wrong and using their ideals to see what they would do in certain situations.
Antigone, The Brave Antigone, a story written by Sophocles, is about a young woman, Antigone, choosing whether she will not bury her brother, Polyneices, to not break the law or disobey Creon’s law and bury him; however choosing to bury her brother does not derail her moral development. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development is three levels consisting of two stages in each. Kohlberg’s Theory explains how a human’s mind morally develops.
One of the main themes in Chapter Fourteen is that of morality. Cari Barney defined morality as “conformity to the rules of right conduct” (lecture). Man is “a moral being” obligated “to act according to moral principles” (McDonald, 2007, p. 165). Deep down within man’s conscience, there is the sense of knowing right from wrong and knowing God’s requirements (Romans 2:14-15). This awareness should cause all humans to strive to adhere to what God requires of us. The moral consciousness of man is within the heart (Proverbs 4:23). McDonald (2007) stated, “So man is in himself a moral being with moral obligations and responsibilities (p. 165). Man’s lifestyle should resemble biblical principles that have been instructed by God.
Whether consciously considered or not, every human being has a personal philosophy by which they live by and use to interpret the world around them. Their “beliefs, concepts and attitudes” (Philosophy) are a derivative of their upbringing and personal circumstances experienced throughout the course of their lives. I was raised on the beliefs, concepts, and moral values of the Christian faith. An emphasis was placed on the Ten Commandments and provided me a moral compass to live by. In my opinion, they are perhaps the most overlooked values in today’s society. The commandments provide a balanced approach to life, similar to Steven Covey’s “True North” principles, which also provide a “theory and tools that will empower us to use our endowments to fulfill our basic needs and capacities in a balanced, principle centered way” (Covey 73). Even more importantly, I was raised by caring, loving parents that supported my dreams and taught me to have the courage to go after them. I learned from their actions, which inspired a meaningful work ethic. My Grandparents were also instrumental in my development; teaching me practicality and the importance of living within my means to avoid becoming a slave to the lender. There combined efforts taught me to be confident and responsible f...
Morals are usually the standards by one which lives in, whether them being good or bad. However, how about when religion influences ones morals? Religion isn’t or it doesn’t work for everyone, and that’s okay. But, there are many people out there that religion influences their morals; and the most common reason for that is that religion was influenced into them and into their morals as a child. Iri...
Some people think that the religion is God-given and flexible for all times, but the other see it as traditions that change with time. Folkways can change to mores which are habits and traditions that are used to make moral judgments. Sumner believes that sometimes mores and folkways can be harmful and dangerous (24). Therefore, a person may think that what was right for ancestors may not be right these days now. Thus, most religions’ main goal is advocating to have good morals. Some believers feel that to have morals, they should follow their religion’s commandments. Additionally, thinking that there is an afterlife, which is the Day of Judgment and heaven and hell, morality becomes more desirable. Some religions teach that this life, which we are living right now, is nothing but a test for your morals and how much you successfully followed the required commandants. A person is evaluated by his actions and they are ones that determine one’s place in heaven or hell in the afterlife. As a result, people act morally for the benefit of their
In the Protestant view, in which humans were viewed as innately evil, soiled by original sin, children were also considered moral agents, and therefore in need of shaping. Given this idea, it was reasonable to stifle children's natural impulses by physically punishing those impulses, to set them in...
Lawrence Kohlberg conducted research on the moral development of children. He wanted to understand how they develop a sense of right or wrong and how justice is served. Kohlberg used surveys in which he included moral dilemmas where he asked the subjects to evaluate a moral conflict. Through his studies, Kohlberg observed that moral growth and development precedes through stages such as those of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. He theorized that moral growth begins at the beginning of life and continues until the day one dies. He believed that people proceed through each stage of moral development consecutively without skipping or going back to a previous stage. The stages of thought processing, implying qualitatively different modes of thinking and of problem solving are included in the three levels of pre-conventional, conventional and post conventional development. (2)
The moral development of children can depend on many factors. Parenting and upbringing of the child, their environment, social environment, gender, and race are all aspects that can contribute to how a child develops their moral standards and expectations. Many psychologist have tried for several years to develop a theory to how morality is developed. One in particular is Lawrence Kohlberg (1958), his moral development theory is based on the cognitive development of children and it is thought that moral development proceeds and changes as cognitive development occurs (Arnett, 2012). Kohlberg’s moral development theory consist of 3 different levels each containing 2 stages altogether making 6 stages of moral development, as Kohlberg conducted
Carol Gilligan is one of the first to address gender differences in psychology. She argued that the sexes think differently, notably when dealing with moral problems.Her most popular addition to modern psychology was her rework of Lawrence Kohlberg 's theory of moral development. Gilligan challenged that differences were based on social influences and gender attitude, this often disesteemed women 's way of thinking. With her theories of female moral development and decision-making, she focused on studies in both children and college students. While there has been criticism of her works, Carol Gilligan has changed the modern psychology with her feminist views. She has paved the women in the field and the research of psychology
I was always lying to my parents, going out to parties, and staying at places I should not have been. My lifestyle was something I could not talk to my parents about, but I could confide in other friend 's parents or my youth pastors. I always wonder how different my teenage years would have been if my parents were more open and approachable about living life in God 's image. At home, we all knew of our faith and acted according, no cursing, no drinking, but we never specifically spoke of how difficult it can be to not fall into temptation. My parents were not understanding of any mistakes; it was, "you better not be doing those kinds of things," the end. This is not to say my parents are at fault for me being a rebellious teenager who lied to her parents and got drunk on the weekends because I was well aware of the sins I was committing and I attempted many times to
Throughout life we are taught what is right and what is wrong. Oddly enough some people go through life doing what is right and yet, others seem to constantly find themselves second guessing what is right and wrong. Reflecting back on my childhood days, I realize that as a child I was not that perfect little angle so many parents like to brag about during a Sunday social gathering after church. Maybe, I was easily influenced by my school buddies, or maybe it was because I didn’t want to be labeled as the outcast, chicken, or the friend who was no fun to hang out with. Growing up, children are often referred to as a young man or young woman and when I earned that label I somehow knew it all.
Consequently we ask the question where does the idea of the Bible effecting Christian ethical decision making stop having unlimited interpretation. Interpretation can keep on being made of the biblical texts in so many different ways. A Christian living in today’s modern society who is practicing with the Bible as the role of how they base their ethical decisions has many things to consider. Mainly direct and indirect interpretation is to be had of the old and new testaments. Bringing the Bible stories and parables into context helps modern Christians to understand and live out ethically correct lives by applying it to the situation they are in.
When it comes to family I was raised to be respectful of others but still speak my mind if I had an opinion. I was also raised to respect women which is something you do not see often in American culture anymore. I was taught that I am supposed to open a door or give up my seat to a woman. As a kid you do these things because this is the way we are taught; one you grow up you realize that showing people respect is the right thing to do so you continue doing it. The biggest influence my family had on me was teaching me the value of kindness and the power of knowledge. As a kid I was taught to work hard and then have fun later; sort of like the saying people say "work hard and play hard". My parents dropped out of college so that they could give my sisters and I the opportunities they didn't have, this is the reason I have learned the value of hard work and knowledge. I was also taught to be honest as my parents believed that lies don't get people anywhere and if you tell the truth then you never have to remember a lie. All together I think my parents were trying to teach us to act with integrity and not let others think for us. These influences seem to first be deontological, when I was young I followed these rules because that is what I was taught. Now they appear to be virtuous to me, I still do these things because they seem like somethi...
Class notes. Man’s Desperate Need of Righteousness and God’s Glorious Provision of Righteousness. Faith Christian University. Orlando, Florida. August 2011.