Kohlberg The Child as a Moral Philosopher

Methodology

Undertook various studies related to moral development
Used interviews to collect qualitative data
Cross-cultural comparisons and a longitudinal element

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Participants

Studied a group of 75 American boys
Ages 10-16 and again between 22-28
Studied people in Great Britain, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico and Turkey

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Procedure

To assess moral thinking Kohlberg created nine hypothetical moral dilemmas
Dilemma was presented a conflict between two moral issues
Participants were asked to discuss three of the dilemmas, prompted by ten or more open-ended question

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Examples of Questions

Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not?
If respondent favout stealing ask 'If Heinz doesn't love his wife should he steal the drug for her? Why or why not?
If respondent favours not stealing, ask does it make a difference whether or not he loves his

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Answers

Answers were analysed and common themes were identified so that the stage theory could be constructed
Each boy was re-interviewed every three years
Same kind of interview was used with children and adults in other countries

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Findings

Boys' answers were analysed and common themes were identified so that the stage theory could be constructed
A stage theory is an account of how behaviour changes at different ages
Found that younger children thought at the pre-conventional level and as th

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Findings in Mexico and Taiwan

Same except that development was a little slower

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Conclusions

Stages are invariant and universal - people everywhere go through the same stages in the same order
Each new stage represents a more equilibriated form of moral understanding, resulting in a more logically consistent and morally mature form of understandi

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The Preconventional Level

Children accept the rules of authority figures and judge actions by their consquences. Actions that result in punishments are bad, those that bring rewards are good

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Stage 1 - The punishment and obedience orientation

This style of morality ignores the intentions behind a behaviour and focuses on obeying rules that are enforced by punishment

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Example of Stage 1

Tommy aged 10 is asked 'is it better to save the life of one important person or a lot of unimportant people' - he thinks of the value of life in terms of the furniture they possess

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Stage 2 - The Instrumental Purpose Orientation

Children view actions as 'right' if they satisfy their own needs

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Example of Stage 2

Tommy aged 13 argues that someone in pain would be better off dead but her husband wouldn't like it
The wife's value is in terms of her instrumental value to her husband

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The Conventional Level

Continue to believe that conformity to social rules is desirable, but this is not out of self-interest
Maintaing the current social system ensures positive human relationships and social order

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Stage 3 - Interpersonal Cooperation

'Good boy - good girl' orientation
What is right is defined by what is expected by others

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Example of Stage 3

Tommy aged 16 frames his answer more in terms of the wife's importance to the family relationships

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Stage 4 - The Social-Order-Maintaing Orientation

Marks the shift from defining what is right in terms of role expectations to defining right in terms of norms established by the larger social system

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Example of Stage 4

Richard aged 13 expresses his views about mercy killing in terms of the right to destroy something God created

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The Post-Conventional (Principled) Level

Moves beyond unquestioning compliance with the norms of their own social system
The individual now defines morality in terms of abstract moral principles that apply to all societies and situations

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Stage 5 - The Social Contract Orientation

Laws are seen as relative and flexible
Where they are consistent with individual rights and the interests of the majority, they are upheld

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Example of Stage 5

Richard aged 20 considers the right that we all have to make the choice about our own life

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Stage 6 - The Universal Ethical Principles Orientation

Morality is defined in terms of self chosen abstract moral principles
Laws usually conform to these principles, but where this is not the case, the individual acts in accordance with their moral principles

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Carol Gilligan 1982

Based on interviews with boys
Male morality may be different to female morality
Based on justice rather than caringness
Dilemmas are more concerned with wrongdoing and are therefore more to do with justice

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Femal Morality

Gilligan found evidence that showed that women tend to be more focused on relationships than justice when making moral decisions
Gender-biased
Restricted to only one type of morality

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Expansion

Gilligan's critique is considered more of an expansion than an alternative (Jorgensen 2006)
Core concepts put forward by Kohlebrg remain unchallenged such as the invariant sequence of development and the importance of social interactions

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External Validity - Gilligan

The evidence was not based on real-life decisions
Dilemmas were hypothetical scenarios which may have made little sense (young children)
Her research involved interviewing people about their own moral dilemmas such as the decision to have an abortion

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Social Desirability Bias

Self-report method
Participants prefer to appear in a 'good light'
May describe behaviour that is idealistic rather than what one would actually do
Asked people what they think rather than what they would do
More about idealistic moral thinking than about

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Kohlberg Explanation

Theory of reasoning
Predicted that those who reason in a more mature fashion should be inclined to more morally mature behaviour and he found some support for this (Kohlberg 1975)

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Students

Students were given the opportunity to cheat on a test
15% of college students at post-conventional stage cheated
70% of those at the pre-conventional stage cheated

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Burton 1976

People only behave consistently with their moral principles on some kinds of moral behaviour
Cheating or sharing toys
Concluded that generally it is likely that factors other than moral principles affect moral behaviour su

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Kohlberg The Child as a Moral Philosopher

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