REPORT APRIL 13, 2021

HOW IS MORAL CHARACTER DEVELOPED?

2.

FIRST, LET’S HAVE A QUICK DISCUSSION ABOUT LAWRENCE KOHLBERG

-HE WAS BORN ON 25TH OF OCT. YEAR 1927 AND DIED AT THE AGE OF 59
ON THE 17TH OF JANUARY YEAR 1987

-HE WAS AN AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST AND EDUCATOR KNOWN FOR

HIS THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

- HE WAS A PSYCHOLOGIST WHO PORTRAYED ON EDUCATION,

ANTHROPOLOGY, AND PHILOSOPHY, TO INFORM HIS WORK ON THE
DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL JUDGMENT AND ON MORAL BEHAVIOR.

3.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUSES ON THE EMERGENCE, CHANGE, AND

UNDERSTANDING OF MORALITY FROM INFANCY THROUGH
ADULTHOOD. MORALITY DEVELOPS ACROSS A LIFETIME AND IS INFLUENCED
BY AN INDIVIDUAL'S EXPERIENCES AND THEIR BEHAVIOR WHEN FACED
WITH MORAL ISSUES THROUGH DIFFERENT PERIODS' PHYSICAL AND
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.

4.

MORAL CHARACTER CAN BE CONCEPTUALIZED AS AN INDIVIDUAL’S

DISPOSITION TO THINK, FEEL, AND BEHAVE IN AN ETHICAL VERSUS
UNETHICAL MANNER, OR AS THE SUBSET OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
RELEVANT TO MORALITY.

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FAMILY
THE FAMILY PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE FORMATION OF SOMEONE'S
MORAL CHARACTER. BIOLOGICAL OR NOT, THE FAMILY THAT ONE CONSIDERS
TO HAVE HAS AN IMMENSE IMPACT. MODERN TIMES ALSO AFFECT THE
COMPOSITION OF THE FAMILY WE TRADITIONALLY HAVE KNOWN TO BE.
BEFORE, WE HAVE A FEMALE FOR A MOTHER, A MALE FOR A FATHER, AND
THEIR CHILDREN. BUT, NOW, THE COMPOSITION OF PARENTS COULD BE
VARIED. DESPITE THE CHANGES, THE ADULTS WHO ARE DEEMED TO BE THE
PARENTS ARE STILL ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF
THEIR CHILD OR CHILDREN. ZIGLER AND FINN- STEVENSON (1987) ASSERTED
THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE VALUES A PARENT
COULD TEACH A CHILD. THESE FACTORS ARE: SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS,
CULTURE, AGE, GENDER, RELIGION, AND EDUCATION (AS CITED IN
MAMAWAL,1993)

BIOLOGICAL CONSTITUTION

THE BIOLOGICAL FACTORS SUCH AS AGE, SEX, AND GENDER, MAY ALSO HAVE
AN IMPACT ON THE VALUE FORMATION. IT IS SUPPOSED THAT AS ONE GROWS
OLDER, THE MORAL CHARACTER ONE HAS SHOULD ALSO GROW OR IMPROVE.
HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. ONE'S PROGRESS IN MORAL
DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO HINGED TO OTHER FACTORS. ONE'S SEX OR GENDER
WOULD HAVE MORE IMPACT ONCE IT COMBINES WITH THE OTHER FACTORS
THAT COULD SHAPE ONE'S MORAL CHARACTER.

PEER

AS WE BECOME EXPOSED TO MORE PEOPLE, WE ARE PRESSURED IN TRYING

TO BELONG OR BE ACCEPTED. PEERS, FRIENDS, CLASSMATES, AND
COLLEAGUES ARE ALSO INFLUENCERS IN OUR MORAL CHARACTER. PARENTS
AND TEENAGERS ARE TO BE AWARE THAT IN THE ADOLESCENT YEARS,
TEENS ARE DRAWN TO SPENDING MORE TIME WITH PEERS THAN FAMILY. THE
TIME SPENT WITH PEERS WILL EXPOSE THEM TO OTHER PERSPECTIVES AND
PRACTICES. THIS WOULD TEST THEIR EXISTING SET OF MORALS. THUS, THE
FOUNDATION OF THEIR MORAL CHARACTER FORMED IN THE FAMILY SHOULD
BE STRONG.

SCHOOL

MOST OF A PERSON'S LIFE BEFORE ADULTHOOD IS COMMONLY SPENT IN

SCHOOL. IN THIS SPAN OF TIME, THE EXPOSURE OF THE STUDENTS COMES
FROM THE SCHOOL, TEACHERS, CLASSMATES, LESSONS IN CLASS, AND
THEIR PEERS. THE SCHOOL AND ITS TEACHERS COULD ENHANCE THE
STUDENTS ‘MORAL CHARACTER IF THEY KNOW HOW AND IF THEY ARE
INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT. MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS AND WORKPLACE
SETTINGS EXPECT A STUDENT APPLICANT TO BE OF GOOD CHARACTER SO
TEACHING HOW TO DEVELOP ONE IS VITAL.
COMMUNITY

TO BE PART OF A COMMUNITY MEANS TO ALSO SHARE THEIR BELIEFS

AND/OR PRACTICE THEIR TRADITIONS OR CULTURE. A COMMUNITY COULD
PERTAIN TO A "LOCALITY, NEIGHBORHOOD, TOWN, CITY, OR EVEN A
NATION"(PANOPIO, 1983, AS CITED I MAMAWAL, 1993).

9.

KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

KOHLBERG IDENTIFIED THREE LEVELS OF MORAL REASONING: PRE-

CONVENTIONAL, CONVENTIONAL, AND POST-CONVENTIONAL. EACH LEVEL IS
ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASINGLY COMPLEX STAGES OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT.

LEVEL 1: PRECONVENTIONAL

THROUGHOUT THE PRECONVENTIONAL LEVEL, A CHILD’S SENSE OF

MORALITY IS EXTERNALLY CONTROLLED. CHILDREN ACCEPT AND BELIEVE
THE RULES OF AUTHORITY FIGURES, SUCH AS PARENTS AND TEACHERS. A
CHILD WITH PRE-CONVENTIONAL MORALITY HAS NOT YET ADOPTED OR
INTERNALIZED SOCIETY’S CONVENTIONS REGARDING WHAT IS RIGHT OR
WRONG, BUT INSTEAD FOCUSES LARGELY ON EXTERNAL CONSEQUENCES
THAT CERTAIN ACTIONS MAY BRING.

STAGE 1: OBEDIENCE-AND-PUNISHMENT ORIENTATION

STAGE 1 FOCUSES ON THE CHILD’S DESIRE TO OBEY RULES AND AVOID

BEING PUNISHED. FOR EXAMPLE, AN ACTION IS PERCEIVED AS MORALLY
WRONG BECAUSE THE PERPETRATOR IS PUNISHED; THE WORSE THE
PUNISHMENT FOR THE ACT IS, THE MORE “BAD” THE ACT IS PERCEIVED TO BE.

STAGE 2: INSTRUMENTAL ORIENTATION

STAGE 2 EXPRESSES THE “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?” POSITION, IN WHICH RIGHT

BEHAVIOR IS DEFINED BY WHATEVER THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVES TO BE IN
THEIR BEST INTEREST. STAGE TWO REASONING SHOWS A LIMITED INTEREST
IN THE NEEDS OF OTHERS, ONLY TO THE POINT WHERE IT MIGHT FURTHER
THE INDIVIDUAL’S OWN INTERESTS. AS A RESULT, CONCERN FOR OTHERS IS
NOT BASED ON LOYALTY, BUT RATHER A “YOU SCRATCH MY BACK, AND I’LL
SCRATCH YOURS” MENTALITY. AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE WHEN A CHILD IS
ASKED BY HIS PARENTS TO DO A CHORE. THE CHILD ASKS “WHAT’S IN IT FOR
ME?” AND THE PARENTS OFFER THE CHILD AN INCENTIVE BY GIVING HIM AN
ALLOWANCE.
LEVEL 2: CONVENTIONAL

THROUGHOUT THE CONVENTIONAL LEVEL, A CHILD’S SENSE OF MORALITY IS

TIED TO PERSONAL AND SOCIETAL RELATIONSHIPS. CHILDREN CONTINUE TO
ACCEPT THE RULES OF AUTHORITY FIGURES, BUT THIS IS NOW DUE TO THEIR
BELIEF THAT THIS IS NECESSARY TO ENSURE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND
SOCIETAL ORDER. ADHERENCE TO RULES AND CONVENTIONS IS SOMEWHAT
RIGID DURING THESE STAGES, AND A RULE’S APPROPRIATENESS OR
FAIRNESS IS SELDOM QUESTIONED.

STAGE 3: GOOD BOY, NICE GIRL ORIENTATION

IN STAGE 3, CHILDREN WANT THE APPROVAL OF OTHERS AND ACT IN WAYS

TO AVOID DISAPPROVAL. EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON GOOD BEHAVIOR AND
PEOPLE BEING “NICE” TO OTHERS.

STAGE 4: LAW-AND-ORDER ORIENTATION

IN STAGE 4, THE CHILD BLINDLY ACCEPTS RULES AND CONVENTION BECAUSE

OF THEIR IMPORTANCE IN MAINTAINING A FUNCTIONING SOCIETY. RULES ARE
SEEN AS BEING THE SAME FOR EVERYONE, AND OBEYING RULES BY DOING
WHAT ONE IS “SUPPOSED” TO DO IS SEEN AS VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT.
MORAL REASONING IN STAGE FOUR IS BEYOND THE NEED FOR INDIVIDUAL
APPROVAL EXHIBITED IN STAGE THREE. IF ONE PERSON VIOLATES A LAW,
PERHAPS EVERYONE WOULD—THUS THERE IS AN OBLIGATION AND A DUTY
TO UPHOLD LAWS AND RULES. MOST ACTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY REMAIN
AT STAGE FOUR, WHERE MORALITY IS STILL PREDOMINANTLY DICTATED BY
AN OUTSIDE FORCE.

LEVEL 3: POSTCONVENTIONAL

THROUGHOUT THE POSTCONVENTIONAL LEVEL, A PERSON’S SENSE OF

MORALITY IS DEFINED IN TERMS OF MORE ABSTRACT PRINCIPLES AND
VALUES. PEOPLE NOW BELIEVE THAT SOME LAWS ARE UNJUST AND SHOULD
BE CHANGED OR ELIMINATED. THIS LEVEL IS MARKED BY A GROWING
REALIZATION THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE SEPARATE ENTITIES FROM SOCIETY
AND THAT INDIVIDUALS MAY DISOBEY RULES INCONSISTENT WITH THEIR OWN
PRINCIPLES. POST-CONVENTIONAL MORALISTS LIVE BY THEIR
OWN ETHICAL PRINCIPLES—PRINCIPLES THAT TYPICALLY INCLUDE SUCH
BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AS LIFE, LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE—AND VIEW RULES AS
USEFUL BUT CHANGEABLE MECHANISMS, RATHER THAN ABSOLUTE DICTATES
THAT MUST BE OBEYED WITHOUT QUESTION. BECAUSE POST-CONVENTIONAL
INDIVIDUALS ELEVATE THEIR OWN MORAL EVALUATION OF A SITUATION OVER
SOCIAL CONVENTIONS, THEIR BEHAVIOR, ESPECIALLY AT STAGE SIX, CAN
SOMETIMES BE CONFUSED WITH THAT OF THOSE AT THE PRE-CONVENTIONAL
LEVEL. SOME THEORISTS HAVE SPECULATED THAT MANY PEOPLE MAY
NEVER REACH THIS LEVEL OF ABSTRACT MORAL REASONING.

STAGE 5: SOCIAL-CONTRACT ORIENTATION

IN STAGE 5, THE WORLD IS VIEWED AS HOLDING DIFFERENT OPINIONS,

RIGHTS, AND VALUES. SUCH PERSPECTIVES SHOULD BE MUTUALLY
RESPECTED AS UNIQUE TO EACH PERSON OR COMMUNITY. LAWS ARE
REGARDED AS SOCIAL CONTRACTS RATHER THAN RIGID EDICTS. THOSE
THAT DO NOT PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE SHOULD BE CHANGED
WHEN NECESSARY TO MEET THE GREATEST GOOD FOR THE GREATEST
NUMBER OF PEOPLE. THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH MAJORITY DECISION AND
INEVITABLE COMPROMISE. DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IS THEORETICALLY
BASED ON STAGE FIVE REASONING.

STAGE 6: UNIVERSAL-ETHICAL-PRINCIPAL ORIENTATION

IN STAGE 6, MORAL REASONING IS BASED ON ABSTRACT REASONING USING

UNIVERSAL ETHICAL PRINCIPLES. GENERALLY, THE CHOSEN PRINCIPLES ARE
ABSTRACT RATHER THAN CONCRETE AND FOCUS ON IDEAS SUCH AS
EQUALITY, DIGNITY, OR RESPECT. LAWS ARE VALID ONLY INSOFAR AS THEY
ARE GROUNDED IN JUSTICE, AND A COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE CARRIES WITH
IT AN OBLIGATION TO DISOBEY UNJUST LAWS. PEOPLE CHOOSE THE ETHICAL
PRINCIPLES THEY WANT TO FOLLOW, AND IF THEY VIOLATE THOSE
PRINCIPLES, THEY FEEL GUILTY. IN THIS WAY, THE INDIVIDUAL ACTS BECAUSE
IT IS MORALLY RIGHT TO DO SO (AND NOT BECAUSE HE OR SHE WANTS TO
AVOID PUNISHMENT), IT IS IN THEIR BEST INTEREST, IT IS EXPECTED, IT IS
LEGAL, OR IT IS PREVIOUSLY AGREED UPON. ALTHOUGH KOHLBERG INSISTED
THAT STAGE SIX EXISTS, HE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS
WHO CONSISTENTLY OPERATED AT THAT LEVEL.

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