Moral Development Tutorial

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Moral Development Tutorial
Module C Lesson 1
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How to Navigate Tutorial

1. Click on hyperlinks within each slide first.
2. Click on to move to the next slide.
3. Click on to move to the previous slide.
4. Click on the icon to return to the index.

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Lesson 5 Index

• Theories of Moral Reasoning
• Lawrence Kohlberg
• Carol Gilligan
• John Haidt
• Neurobiological Basis of Moral Reasoning
• In Conclusion
• References

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Objective 12

• Contrast different theories of moral reasoning,
  according to Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan,
  and John Haidt

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Lawrence Kohlberg
According to Kohlberg our moral decisions are
motivated by the principles of fairness and
justice
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Kohlbergs Research

• Kohlberg had male subjects respond moral dilemmas

He wasnt concerned with their resolutions to the
dilemmas, rather how they arrived at those
decisions As a result of his research Kohlberg
concluded that there are qualitative differences
in how moral decisions are made
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Kohlbergs Theory

• Kohlberg concluded that there are measurable
  qualitative patterns of moral thought that he
  divided into 3 different levels
• Each level is further divided into qualitatively
  different stages
• As cognitive development progresses we move
  through each of these stages
• The later stages of development are considered
  higher moral thought

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Pre-Conventional Level
At this level moral decisions are not internally
motivated but are instead driven by external
factors

• Stage 1 Punishment and Obedience
• Moral decisions are made based on avoiding
  punishment.
• Stage 2 Mutual Benefit
• Moral decisions are made in consideration of
  personal interest

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Conventional Level
At this level moral decisions moral decisions are
not internally motivated but are instead driven
by external factors

• Stage 3 Interpersonal Expectations
• Moral decisions are made based on seeking
  approval from others.
• Stage 4 Law and Order
• Moral decisions are made consistent with legal
  principles and rules

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Post-Conventional Level
At this level moral decisions moral decisions are
not internally motivated but are instead driven
by external factors

• Stage 5 Legal Principles
• Moral decisions are made based on legal
  principles but understanding that laws change and
  are not perfect, therefore open to
  interpretation.
• Stage 6 Universal Moral Principles
• Moral decisions are made based on abstract
  principles of justices and fairness, and when in
  conflict with the law personal conscious is
  followed

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Evaluating Kohlbergs Theory

• Western emphasis on individual rights, harm, and
  justice
• It doesnt reflect collectivist emphasis on
  interdependence and group harmony
• As quoted by a man from New Guinea, If nobody
  helped him, I would say that we had caused the
  crime.
• Only males were studiedso what about women?

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Carol Gilligan
According to Gilligan womens moral decisions are
driven by a care orientation
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Carol Gilligan Gender differences

• Gilligan questioned why women were consistently
  scoring at the lower levels of moral reasoning
  according to Kohlbergs theory
• Criticized Kohlbergs theory of moral development
  as being biased toward a male perspective (due to
  the fact that his research subjects were male)
• Gilligan proposed a theory of female moral
  development explaining that women are driven by a
  care-orientation

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The Care Orientation

• The moral judgments of women differ from
• that of men in the greater extent to which
• womens judgments are tied to feelings of
• empathy and compassion
• and are concerned with the resolution of real
• as opposed to hypothetical dilemmas.
• Gilligan, 1982

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Evaluating Gilligans Theory

• Not all women operate from care-orientation
• Culturally shaped gender role for women to be
  nurturing

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John Haidt
According to Haidt we are all driven by 5
universal moral inpulses
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Harm / Care
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Fairness / Reciprocity
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Authority / Respect
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In-Group Loyalty
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Purity / Sanctity
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Evaluating Haidts Theory

• We all share common universal moral impulses but
  individually we may have stronger emphasis on one
  or more
• Liberals more likely to operate from Harm/Care
  and Justice/Fairness
• Conservatives more likely to operate from
  Authority/Respect, In-group Loyalty, and
  Purity/Sanctity
• Purity/Sanctity is the greatest predictor of
  attitudes on abortion and gay marriage

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Question

• Where does moral thought take place in the brain?

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The Brain and Moral Reasoning

• Frontal Lobe (blue)
• Temporal Lobe (green)
• Abstract reasoning
• Working memory
• Willful thinking
• Regulates emotions

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In conclusion
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What is morality?

• It dependson whose theory you are studying

What do you think?
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References
Haidt, J. (2007). Moral Psychology and the
Misunderstanding of Religion. Retrieved August
13, 2009 from http//www.edge.org/3rd_culture/haid
t07/haidt07_index.html Jacobs, T. (2009, April
27). Morals Authority. Retrieved October 4,
2009 from http//www.miller-mccune.com/culture_soc
iety/morals-authority-1099/2?article_page3. Kim,
E. (n.d.). Moral Reasoning Lawrence Kohlberg.
Retrieved from https//teach.lanecc.edu/kime/Nov25
A02Psy201.pdf. Naukan, D. and Fredendall, C.
(n.d.). Morality in Kohlberg and Gilligan
PowerPoint. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from
http//dante.udallas.edu/fredendall/child_growth/C
hildGrowth/Kohlberg.ppt. Newberg, A. and
Waldman, M.R. (2006). Why We Believe What We
Believe Uncovering Our Biological Need for
Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth. New York Free
Press.