Moral Development Term Paper

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Moral Development & Gender Bias

The influence of moral development on the perpetuation of gender bias among males and females in the school setting

In analyzing the moral development that humans undergo from childhood to adulthood, it is important to look into the models and theories in psychology that served as the foundation of this field. Moral development among humans can be categorized into different stages, in the same way that human development undergoes through different stages. For this paper, the theory and model discussed and analyzed is Lawrence Kohlberg's multistage theory of moral evolution.

Kohlberg's model is illustrated as follows:

LEVEL 1: Preconventional Morality

Stage 1- Obedience and Punishment Orientation

Stage 2- Individualism and Exchange

LEVEL 2: Conventional Morality

Stage 3- Good Interpersonal Relationships

Stage 4- Maintaining the Social Order

LEVEL 3: Postconventional Morality

Stage 5- Social Contract and Individual Rights

Stage 6- Universal Principles

The preceding outline of Kohlberg's moral evolution model is summarized into three levels, which reflect the fact that humans undergo three stages of moral evolution (in general). Pre-conventional morality marks the individual's beginnings in recognizing rules and regulations, as well as obedience and disobedience to these. Pre-conventional morality is still a stage of non-recognition of what is right or wrong for the individual, and s/he is still susceptible to just following orders, and unquestioningly and ignorant of the universal standard of morality. The second level, conventional morality, looks into the gradual immersion of the individual into society's standards of morality. At this level, society plays a significant role in influencing the individual to make decisions about the wrongness or rightness of an action or behavior. The last level illustrates the individual as now knowledgeable about his/her rights, and universal principles concerning moral and ethical actions and behavior.

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Kohlberg suggests that at the last level, the normative moral development of an individual is to subsist and conform to society's standard rules and principles concerning morality.

Going through each stage of moral evolution, Kohlberg enumerates how an individual progresses from being ignorant of morality towards recognizing moral standards, and eventually internalizing and following these (universal) moral standards. At the first level, the individual learns to follow rules and recognize the wrongness or rightness of a rule through punishment. It is through punishment that children will know when an act or behavior is desirable or not, therefore, their tendency is to act or behave not in accordance to what is right or wrong, but in accordance to which action/behavior would elicit no or least punishment.

Thus, after the first level of moral evolution, it is somehow ingrained in the child's psyche that a desirable action or behavior is one that results to no or least punishment. At level 2, which is conventional morality, two events take place: the establishment of social relationships with other people and the maintenance of these relationships. Morality is learned when the child verifies against his/her friends what actions and behavior they perceive as right or wrong. Thus, friends and other influential social institutions such as the mass media and schools, become the extended influences that the child has (apart from his/her family) in knowing what actions are right or wrong, moral or immoral.

Towards adulthood, the individual learns that morality is not only….....

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