Moral Development

Piaget influenced Kohlberg who then influenced Gilligan

MORAL DEVELOPMENT ACCORDING TO JEAN PIAGET

Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development Stage 1Pre-moral Period believed that children younger than 5 years of age showed little awareness of, or concern for rules

Stage 2Moral Realism from years of age rules are absolutes and CANNOT be changed rules are established by authority figures like God, the police and parents punishment should be determined by how much damage has been done and the intention of the child is not taken into account i.e. - a child who accidentally breaks 3 cups should be punished more than a child who breaks 1 cup on purpose

Stage 3Morality of Cooperation from years of age people make rules and so people can change them damage done and the intention of the offender in a given moral dilemma are considered in this stage i.e year old children reliably say that a child who broke 1 cup while stealing jam (a bad intent) is naughtier than a child who broke 15 cups while setting the table for dinner (a good intent)

Morals vs Ethics? Ethics and morals both relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. However, ethics refer to the series of rules provided to an individual by an external source. e.g. their profession. On the other hand, morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong

Morals provides you with the sense of what is right and wrong (moral development) Based on your socialization experiences Ethics are the basis for the treatment of others