Moral Dilemmas and Moral Reasoning - Term Paper Example

Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

Lawrence Kohlberg's theory was a modification and expansion of Jean Piaget’s work. It forms a theory that explains the development of moral reasoning. While Piaget’s work described two processes of moral development, Kohlberg’s work has six stages that are in three levels. Kohlberg’s mainly proposed that development is a continuous process that takes place throughout one's life and it only stops at death. He carried out his research using “The Heinz Dilemma” scenario on children of different ages (Jorgensen, 2006).
The stages of reasoning are:
1. Pre-conventional Morality
• Stage one- Obedience and Punishment
This is the earliest stage of moral development and is mostly exhibited by young children although it can also be observed in some adults. This is whereby a child sees rules as fixed. Obedience comes as a duty to mainly escape being punished.
• Stage two- Individualism and Exchange
In this stage of moral development children judge their actions based on how their individual needs are served.

2. Convectional morality
• Stage three- Interpersonal Relationships
The main emphasis in this stage is conformity. Moral development lays focus on social expectations and roles (J.Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010). Choices are made based on how they will affect relationships with others.
• Stage four- Maintaining Social Order
This is the stage whereby people are entirely out to maintain social order by following the law and authorities.
3. Post Conventional Morality
• Stage five- Social Contract and Individual Rights
At this stage, people account for the values of others. Whereas the law is still there, people agree on some of the customs
• Stage six- Universal Principles
These are the universal ethical principles. People follow these principles which are internalized even if they are in contrast with the rules and law.
Carol Gilligan’s theory of moral development
She is a critic of Kohlberg’s theory and calls it male-centered. Therefore, she proposes a stage theory of moral development for women (Raman & Winer, 2004). Her theory is mainly based on the ethics of caring. Gilligan provides that there is a right place for impartiality, a universal principle, and that mature morality consists of a complex interaction between impartiality concerns and the concerns of personal relationships and care (Jorgensen, 2006). She noted that while girls are more inclined towards caring, boys are inclined towards justice.

Gilligan’s theory of moral development involves three levels:
1) Orientation to individual survival
In this stage, the self is the sole object of concern.
2) Goodness is equal to self-sacrifice
The main concern is others rather than self and also self-sacrifice.
3) Morality of nonviolence
In this stage it’s where the individual needs are uncovered but with the ability to balance with those of others.
Kohlberg’s moral development theory is more focused on the approach used in reasoning rather than on whether the choice that Jane makes is right or wrong. It is concerned with moral reasoning. Kohlberg’s main concern lay in what is just and one's obligations (Haidt, Koller, & Dias, 1993). Each level and stage provides a different basis for decision-making. Gilligan’s moral development theory on the other hand puts more focus on how gender affects moral development. Her theory is concerned with the effects of care on moral concerns.
According to Kohlberg’s theory, Jane’s decision would greatly be influenced by age. Each stage of this theory takes place at a certain age. In stage one; Jane would focus on her parent's rule not to buy the toy. This would be to avoid punishment. In stage two; she would be mainly concerned with her individual need. Therefore she would buy the toy since it is what she wants. In stage three; Jane would be concerned with meeting the social expectations. To be branded a good girl, she would return the money to the owner. In stage four; Jane’s concern would be to maintain social order and law by following the laid rules. Therefore she would give the money back to the owner. In stages five and six, she may feel justified to spend the money on the toy since the standards and the internalized principles vary.

Moreover, the occurrences in the stages of this theory are more universal and are similar in most cultures. The instilled principles in children tend to be similar in most cultures with similarities in rules and laws. Hence, the stage of Jane’s reasoning will depend on her age.
Based on Gilligan’s theory, in the first level, Jane would keep the money since her needs would be the main focus. On the second and third levels, however, Jane would return the money to maintain social order. However, based on her wish to have a toy, we would assume that Jane is just a young girl of maybe ten years and she would henceforth keep the money and buy her desired toy. Read More