Moral development - Research Paper Example

To what extent do you think is moral reasoning a product of culture and gender stereotyping? Moral reasoning involves changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding standards of right and wrong. The difference between the two isn’t almost as easy to differentiate as it seems. Many studies have been conducted of which the most prominent is Kohlberg’s study of moral development based on the thought that moral development progresses through a series of stages that are discontinuous and hierarchical.

Moral reasoning is influenced at large by culture and gender stereotyping. Culture usually lays down the basis of what many people perceive to be morals. Individualism and collectivism play a large role in the development of moral belief. Industrialized cultures advance through the stages relatively faster and advance to higher levels. Rural societies base cooperation on direct relations and so do not have a lot of space for the development of advance moral understanding. It is seen that most studies emphasize that understanding of moral ethics is differentiated based on gender.

It is believed that women focus on an ‘ethic of care’ that Kohlberg’s theory defames. Gilligan believes that moral development pays little attention to caring and responsiveness. On the other hand Kohlberg focuses on rights and justice orientation. 2. Do you think morality can be taught in schools? What can be done when two different cultures value different ways of behaving and reasoning? How can this be handled in the classroom?Morality cannot be taught as a subject but can be an integral part of education in the school system.

However, classrooms and educational institutes encompass children from all over the world coming from diverse cultures and different nations. Teachers have to be careful about what they feed the children with to avoid clash between what they learn at school with what they grasp from home and learn from their cultural values. There are some basic forms of morals that are common to all cultures and types and only those should be taught in educational institutes. Children should be taught to accept and learn from others perspectives and generally walk through the different stages presented in the study made by Kohlberg.