Page 100 - Understanding Psychology

Figure 3.15 Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development
Each stage of Kohlberg’s theory is cognitively more complex than the last.
Why would a child in the first stage choose to listen to her parents?
Level
Stage
Orientation
Reference Group
Example
Pre-conventional
1 2
Obedience and punishment
Instrumental relativist
Self
Immediate family
It’s OK for Heinz to steal if he doesn’t get caught.
Stealing the drug helps his wife.
Conventional
3 4
Good boy/Nice girl Law and order
Extended family
Self-serving view of society
His in-laws will respect him if he steals the drug.
It’s illegal to steal.
Post-conventional
5
6
Social contract
Universal ethics principle
Interactive view of society
Balanced cost/benefit analysis of self/society
It’s OK to steal because the druggist is charging too much.
If the situations were reversed, would the druggist steal from Heinz?
1. Review the Vocabulary Describe Freud’s theory of socialization.
2. Visualize the Main Idea Describe par- enting styles using a chart similar to the one below.
3. Recall Information What are the functions of children’s games? How
do these games illustrate the cognitive- developmental approach?
4. Think Critically What questions might you ask a child to determine what stage of moral development he or she is in?
Parenting Style
Role of Parents
Role of Children
5. Application Activity
Go to a public place where you can observe children, such as a play-
ground, park, or shopping mall. Note the behav- iors between parents and child and among the children as they play together. Record and ana- lyze your observations. Describe the different parenting styles you observed.
property. Using these arguments, Kohlberg would place boys at higher levels of moral development. Girls are taught to be empathetic, whereas boys are taught the goal of justice.
To reach the highest levels of moral development, a child must first be able to see other people’s points of view. Yet this understanding is no guarantee that a person will respect the rights of others. Thus, the devel- opment of thinking or cognitive abilities influences moral development.
Assessment
86 Chapter 3 / Infancy and Childhood