Margaret J Meehan SOCIAL EMOTIONAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Margaret J Meehan SOCIAL –EMOTIONAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT 6 TO 11 YEARS

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Freud’s Erikson’s Industry vs Inferiority (6 -12) Child is influenced by experiences at school. If praised in their efforts they will develop a sense of industry and feel good about what they have achieved. If they repeatedly fail or are not praised when they try, a sense of inferiority may develop. Margaret J Meehan Latency Stage (6 -11) It is during this stage that sexual urges remain repressed and there are no significant development events. Children play with the same sex peers.

PIAGET’S TWO STAGE THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT Pre-moral – before the age of five, children do not consider what is right or wrong. Moral realism is witnessed in middle childhood: children’s understanding of rules is governed by the influence of authority figures. They believe that rules cannot be changed, that they are inflexible. Moral relativism is present from roughly eight years onwards. It reflects the developing child’s growing sophistication in thinking. Children now understand that the rules can be modified through agreements with others. Margaret J Meehan

According to Piaget moral development was completed in children at approximately 12 – 13 years. See example in book on pg 102. Criticisms of Piaget’s Theory That moral development is completed at 1213 years. Moral development changes across the lifespan. Our attitudes change as we age. It is very individualistic (western society) Margaret J Meehan

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral development There are three levels each divided into two. Level 1: Preconventional Morality. Level 2: Conventional Morality. Level 3: Postconventional Morality. Margaret J Meehan Kohlberg was influenced by Piaget’s work. He devised a six stage approach. He based his theory on interviews he conducted with children and adolescence regarding moral reasoning. (see example pg 104).

Level 1: Preconventional Morality. Stage 2: Individualism People conform to rules and laws to gain rewards, or have a favor they have done to somebody returned. Margaret J Meehan Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment. Whether something is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ is determined by reward and punishment.

Level 2: Conventional Morality. Stage 4: Social System Morality. Moral judgments are based on upholding the social values of the society you live in. Margaret J Meehan Stage 3: Mutual Interpersonal Expectations and Conformity. Individuals value trust and loyalty as the basis for moral reasoning.

Level 3: Postconventional Morality. Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles. Relatively few attain this stage of moral judgement, in which a person will follow their own principles of conscience. Margaret J Meehan Stage 5: Social Contract. In this stage there is an understanding that differences can exist between a moral right and a legal right. e. g euthanasia.

Colby et al. Margaret J Meehan Colby et al. Undertook a 20 year longitudinal study of moral judgement. There findings including the following: Ø The use of stages 1 and 2 decreased over time. Ø Stage 4, which did not appear at all in the moral reasoning of ten-year-olds, was reflected in 62% of 36 -year-olds. Ø Stage 5 did not appear until age 20 -22, and never characterised more than 10% of individuals studied. The research suggests that Kohlberg’s moral stages appeared somewhat later than he initially suggested. The higher stages, in particular stage 6, were very difficult to find.

Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory. Carol Gilligan criticises Kohlberg’s work because it was based on male responses and only represents a male perspective on moral development and reasoning. Ø That very few teenagers or adults seem to reason at the postconventional stage. Ø Both Piaget and Kohlberg focus on what children say than what they actually do. Margaret J Meehan Ø