Moral Development in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter.
Moral
development is a topic of interest in both psychology and education.
Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg modified and expanded upon Piaget's work to form
a theory that explained the development of moral reasoning. Piaget described a
two-stage process of moral development, while Kohlberg theory of moral
development outlined six stages within three different levels. Kohlberg extended
Piaget’s theory, proposing that moral development is a continual process that
occurs throughout the lifespan.
"The Heinz Dilemma"
Kohlberg
based his theory upon research and interviews with groups of young children. A
series of moral dilemmas were presented to children, who were then interviewed
to determine the reasoning behind their judgments of each scenario. The
following is one example of the dilemmas Kohlberg presented.
"Heinz Steals the Drug
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one
drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a
druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to
make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He
paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug.
The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money,
but he could only get together about $ 1,000 which is half of what it cost. He
told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or
let him pay later. But the druggist said: "No, I discovered the drug and
I'm going to make money from it." So Heinz got desperate and broke into the
man's store to steal the drug-for his wife. Should the husband have done that? (Kohlberg,
1963)."
The Heinz Dilemma
1.
Scenario 1
A 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?
2.
Scenario 2
Heinz 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?
3.
Scenario 3
Officer 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?
Kohlberg was not interested so much in the answer to the question of whether
Heinz was wrong or right, but in the reasoning for the participants
decision. The responses were then classified into various stages of reasoning in
his theory of moral development.
Level 1. Preconventional Morality
·
Stage 1 -
Obedience and Punishment
·
The earliest
stage of moral development is especially common in young children, but adults
are capable of expressing this type of reasoning. At this stage, children see
rules as fixed and absolute. Obeying the rules is important because it is a
means to avoid punishment.
·
Stage 2 -
Individualism and Exchange
·
At this stage
of moral development, children account for individual points of view and judge
actions based on how they serve individual needs. In the Heinz dilemma, children
argued that the best course of action was whichever best-served Heinz’s needs.
Reciprocity is possible, but only if it serves one's own interests.
Level 2. Conventional Morality
·
Stage 3 -
Interpersonal Relationships
·
Often
referred to as the "good boy-good girl" orientation, this stage of
moral development is focused on living up to social expectations and roles.
There is an emphasis on conformity, being "nice," and consideration of
how choices influence relationships.
·
Stage 4 -
Maintaining Social Order
·
At this stage
of moral development, people begin to consider society as a whole when making
judgments. The focus is on maintaining law and order by following the rules,
doing one’s duty, and respecting authority.
Level 3. Postconventional Morality
·
Stage 5 -
Social Contract and Individual Rights
·
At this
stage, people begin to account for the differing values, opinions, and beliefs
of other people. Rules of law are important for maintaining a society, but
members of the society should agree upon these standards.
·
Stage 6 -
Universal Principles
·
Kolhberg’s
final level of moral reasoning is based upon universal ethical principles and
abstract reasoning. At this stage, people follow these internalized principles
of justice, even if they conflict with laws and rules.
Movement through the Stages
 | Kohlberg's
theory of moral reasoning is a stage theory. In other words, everyone goes
through the stages sequentially without skipping any stage. However,
movement through these stages are not natural, that is people do not
automatically move from one stage to the next as they mature. In stage
development, movement is effected when cognitive dissonance occurs ... that
is when a person notices inadequacies in his or her present way of coping
with a given moral dilemma. But according to stage theory, people cannot understand moral reasoning more than one stage ahead of their own. For example, a person in Stage 1 can understand Stage 2 reasoning but nothing beyond that. Therefore, we should present moral arguments that are only one stage ahead of a person's present level of reasoning to stimulate movement to higher stages. |
Criticisms of Kohlberg's Theory of
Moral Development:
·
Does moral
reasoning necessarily lead to moral behavior? Kohlberg's theory is concerned
with moral thinking, but there is a big difference between knowing what we ought
to do versus our actual actions.
·
Is justice
the only aspect of moral reasoning we should consider? Critics have pointed out
that Kohlberg's theory of moral development overemphasizes the concept as
justice when making moral choices. Other factors such as compassion, caring, and
other interpersonal feelings may play an important part in moral reasoning.
·
Does
Kohlberg's theory overemphasize Western philosophy? Individualistic cultures
emphasize personal rights while collectivistic cultures stress the importance of
society and community. Eastern cultures may have different moral outlooks that
Kohlberg's theory does not account for.
http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/kohlberg.htm