Moral maturity kohlberg and piaget

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Moral DevelopmentLooking at the philosophy of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg regarding why and how people justify the decisions they make.

Why are we learning this?

Learn about what affects us when we make decisions

What should we be considering?

What are our concerns?

Piaget

STAGES

Senroi-Motor(birth-2years)

Pre-Operational(2-7 years)

Concrete Operational(7-11 years)

Formal Operational(11 years and up)

Senroi-Motor(birth-2years)

•Differentiates self from objects•Recognises self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally: e.g. pulls a string to set a mobile in motion or shakes a rattle to make a noise.•Achieves object permanence: realises that things continue to exist even when no longer present to the sense

Pre-Operational(2-7 years)

•Learns to use language and to represent objects by images and words•Thinking is still egocentric: has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others•Classifies objects by a single feature: e.g. groups together all the red blocks regardless of shape or all the square blocks regardless of colour

Concrete Operational(7-11 years)

•Can think logically about objects and events•Achieves conservation of number (age 6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9)•Classifies objects according to several features and can order them in series along a single dimension such as size.

Formal Operational(11 years and up)

•Can think logically about abstract propositions and test hypothesis systematically•Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems

Kohlberg

Level One:Pre-

Conventional Morality

Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience Orientation

•I should get my own way.•To get rewards and avoid punishments.

Stage 2: Instrumental Relativist Orientation

•I should do what I’m told•To stay out of trouble

Level Two:Conventional Morality

Stage 3: Good Boy-Nice Girl Orientation

•I should look out for myself, but be fair to those who are fair to me.•What’s in it for me?

Stage 4: Law and Order Orientation

•I should be a nice person and live up to the expectations of people I know and care about.•So others will think well of me and I can think well of myself.

Kohlberg

Level ThreePost-

Conventional Morality

Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation

•I should fulfill my responsibilities to the social or value system I feel part of.•To keep the system from falling apart and to maintain self-respect as somebody who meets my obligations

Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Orientation

•I should show the greatest possible respect for the rights and dignity of every individual person and should support a system that protects human rights.•The obligation of conscience to act in accordance with the principle of respect for all human beings.

Scenario Instructions

Read the scenario and make a decision.

Once you have made your decision, link it to one of the stages of moral development.

Provide one supporting sentence that justifies the stage that you have selected.

Case Study – The Heinz Dilemma

Scenario 1A woman was near death from a unique kind of cancer. There is a drug that might save her. The drug costs $4,000 per dosage. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000. He asked the doctor scientist who discovered the drug for a discount or let him pay later. But the doctor scientist refused.Should Heinz break into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?

Case Study – The Heinz Dilemma

Scenario 2Heinz broke into the laboratory and stole the drug. The next day, the newspapers reported the break-in and theft. Brown, a police officer and a friend of Heinz remembered seeing Heinz last evening, behaving suspiciously near the laboratory. Later that night, he saw Heinz running away from the laboratory.Should Brown report what he saw? Why or why not?

Case Study – The Heinz Dilemma

Scenario 3Officer Brown reported what he saw. Heinz was arrested and brought to court. If convicted, he faces up to two years' jail. Heinz was found guilty.Should the judge sentence Heinz to prison? Why or why not?

What would you do?

Consider your own experience – Where are you according to the stages of Moral development?