A Topical Approach to LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

1. A Topical Approach toLIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT Chapter Thirteen: Moral Development, Values, and Religion John W. Santrock

2. Domains of Moral Development • What is moral development? • Changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding standards of right and wrong • An intrapersonal dimension: regulates activities • An interpersonal dimension: regulates social interactions and arbitrates conflict

3. Domains of Moral Development • Piaget’s theory • Heteronymous morality (ages 4 to 7) • Justice, rules are seen as unchangeable properties of the world, removed from the control of people • (ages 7 to 10): in transition between the two stages • Autonomous morality (ages 10 and older) • Becomes aware rules and laws created by people; in judging an action, they intentions and consequences • Immanent justice • If a rule is broken, punishment will be meted out immediately

4. Domains of Moral Development • Kohlberg’s theory • Moral reasoning unfolds in universal stages • Tested by story with moral dilemma • Theory of three levels, twostagesineach • Reflects some of Piaget’s concepts

5. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

6. Domains of Moral Development • Kohlberg’s theory • Evaluation • Seventh stage added: cosmic perspective • Peer interaction critical influence • Criticisms • Moral reasons (overemphasized) can be shelter for immoral behavior (underemphasized) • Faulty research: difficult to measure morality • Culturally biased? – universality of stages one to four found in twenty-seven mostly non-European cultures

7. 70 60 50 Mean percent of moral reasoning at each stage 40 30 20 10 0 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 Age (years) Fig. 13.2 Age and Percentage of Individuals at Each Kohlberg Stages

8. Domains of Moral Development • Families and moral reasoning • Family processes, relationships important in children’s moral development • Gilligan: Kohlberg’s theory is gender-biased • Korlberg’s theory has justice perspective— focus on rights of individual, one stands alone and independently • Gilligan’s care perspective— views people in terms of connectedness with others; girls interpret moral dilemmas in terms of human relationships

9. Domains of Moral Development • Reasoning • Social conventional reasoning • Focus on conventional rules created by social consensus to control behavior, maintain society • Arbitrary and subject to individual judgment • Moral reasoning • Focuses on ethical issues and rules of morality • Obligatory, widely accepted, somewhat impersonal • Distinction: personal domain (issues are personal)

10. Domains of Moral Development • Moral behavior • Basic Processes of reinforcement, punishment, and imitation: behavior is situation-specific • Influence of others present like peers • Resistance to Temptation and Self-Control • Influenced by cognitive rationales, factors • Social Cognitive Theory of Morality • Distinguishes between moral competence (ability to produce moral behaviors) and moral performance (actually performing them)

11. Domains of Moral Development • Moral feeling • Freud’s psychoanalytic theory • Foundation of moral behavior is avoid guilt feelings • Superego: moral branch of personality (two parts) • Ego ideal— rewards for acting ideal standards; sense of pride and personal value • Conscience— punishes for disapproved acts; feeling guilty and worthless • Children internalize parents’ standards; self-control replaces parental control

12. Domains of Moral Development • Moral feeling • Empathy • Reacting to another’s feelings with emotional response similar to other’s feelings • Cognitive component —perspective-taking • Develops from infant’s global empathy • Children’s ability depends on awareness that people have different reactions to situations

13. Domains of Moral Development • Role of emotion in moral development • Contemporary perspective • When strongly felt, both positive and negative feelings contribute to moral behavior • Positive feelings: empathy, sympathy, admiration, self-esteem • Negative feelings: anger, outrage, shame, guilt • Some emotions undergo developmental change throughout childhood and beyond; interwoven with cognitive and social aspects of development

14. Domains of Moral Development • Moral personality • Three key dimensions: thoughts, behavior, feelings • Fourth dimension: personality • Core that may constitute moral personality • Moral identity: willpower, integrity, moral desire • Moral character: convictions, persistence, focus • Moral exemplars: being honest and dependable; having set of virtues reflecting moral excellence • Different types (e.g. brave, caring)

15. Contexts of Moral Development • Parenting • Piaget and Kohlberg discounted parents’ input to children’s moral development • Parents see themselves in primary role • Relational quality • Mutual obligations of close relationship • Parental power of discipline, child’s self-control

16. Contexts of Moral Development • Parenting • Parents see themselves in primary role • Proactive strategies (monitoring, distracting child) • Cocooning (protect from exposure) • Pre-arming (discuss what could happen, what to do) • Conversational dialogue • Can be planned or spontaneous • Can encourage, teach, contribute to child’s moral development

17. Contexts of Moral Development • Parenting linked to child’s moral behavior • Parenting recommendations • Warm and supportive, not punitive • Use inductive discipline • Provide opportunities for children • Involve children in decisions • Model moral behaviors • Provide info and foster internal morality

18. Contexts of Moral Development • Schools • The Hidden Curriculum • Character Education • Direct moral education approach teaches students basic moral literacy to prevent immoral behavior, doing harm to themselves or others • Values Clarification • Helps clarify what life is for, what to work for • Students encouraged to define own values and understand others’ values

19. Contexts of Moral Development • Schools • The Hidden Curriculum • Cognitive Moral Education • Students should value things like democracy and justice as moral reasoning develops • Instructor is facilitator, not director • Service Learning • Form of education that promotes social responsibility and service to community • Benefits student volunteers and recipients

20. Contexts of Moral Development • Cheating in schools • Moral education concern • Plagiarism, cheat sheets in exams, purchasing papers • Copying from another student, falsifying lab reports • 2006 survey: 60% had cheated • Many reasons given for ‘why’ • Power of the situation has impact • Strategies, preventive measures need to occur • Promote academic integrity

21. Contexts of Moral Development • Moral education • Integrative approach • Use reflective moral thinking and commitment to justice • Discuss students’ experiences • Adult coach students in ethical decision making • Students need to experience a caring community • Integrative ethical education • Program builds on concepts of expertise • Goal: turn moral novices into moral experts

22. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior • Prosocial behavior • Altruism and Reciprocity • Altruism: unselfish interest in helping another person, mostly evoked by empathy • Many prosocial behaviors involve reciprocity; the obligation to return a favor with a favor • Sharing and fairness: a developmental sequence • Equality (same, fair) • Merit (earned, deserve it) • Benevolence (special treatment for disadvantaged)

23. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior • Prosocial behavior and gender • Females engage in more prosocial behavior than males • Altruism and volunteerism in older adults • Older adults engage in more altruistic behavior and volunteering • Volunteering linked to positive outcomes • More satisfied in life, less depressed and anxious, better physical health

24. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior • Antisocial behavior • Most children diagnosed with “conduct disorder” • Conduct disorder • Age-inappropriate behaviors, attitudes violating norms, rights of others • Behaviors encompass a wide range • Serious conduct problems • Externalizing or undercontrolled patterns of behavior

25. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior • Antisocial behavior • Juvenile delinquency: adolescents who commit illegal acts • Broad concept; behaviors from littering to murder • More males than females; female behaviors increasing • Behaviors peak at ages 16 to 18 • Early onset more negative outcome than late onset • Rates among minority groups and lower-socioeconomic-status youth

26. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior • Causes of Juvenile delinquency • Pittsburgh Youth Study: • Antecedents • Authority conflict • Covert Acts • Overt Aggression • Not exclusively lower-SES phenomenon; characteristics of lower-SES culture can promote delinquency • High-status traits for boys • Affected by family and peer relationships

27. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior • Causes of Juvenile delinquency • Family • Less skilled parents, lack of child monitoring, family discord, inappropriate discipline methods, physical abuse, presence of delinquent siblings or peers • Cognitive factors • Low self-esteem, low IQ, lack of sustained attention, low self-control

28. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Spirituality • A sense of connectedness to a sacred other • Values • Beliefs, attitudes about the way things should be • Measured by asking what one’s goals are • Youth of today have stronger interest in welfare of society • Lack of clear goals leads to only short-term focus

29. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Religion and spirituality • Societies use many methods to ensure people carry on religious traditions • Most adopt religious teachings of upbringing • Most religious change occurs in adolescence • Positive relationship or secure attachment with parents make adolescents more likely to adopt religious orientation of parents

30. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Religion and spirituality • Piaget’s views • Adolescents think more abstractly, idealistically, logical • Logical reasoning gives ability to form hypothesis and systematically sort through religious questions • Religion important to most adolescents • Link between identity and spirituality in adolescence and early adulthood

31. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Positive role of religion in adolescents’ lives • Church going linked to better grades from low-income backgrounds • Lower rates of delinquency and drug use • Better ability to cope with problems • More sensitivity to well-being of others, commitment to community service

32. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Positive role of religion in adults’ lives • More important to women than men • Important to adults around the world; importance may change with aging • 70% of Americans religious • African Americans and Latinos show higher rates of religious participation • Individual differences in religion in middle adulthood

33. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Religion and health • Religious sect members resist using medical treatments and pain-relieving medications • Positive link between religious commitment and health • Lifestyle: lower drug use • Social networks: more connected to others • Coping with stress; more comfort and support • More optimism, positive perceptions of pain, loss

34. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Religion in older adults • Linked to mortality; church attendance lowers risk • Increased more for women than men • Linked to spirituality in early adulthood • Faith is most significant influence in one’s life • Put faith into practice more often • Highest commitment linked to highest self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism

35. Values, Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning • Religion in older adults • Has psychological benefits • Derived sense of meaning in life • Meaning in Life • Frankl’s three most distinct human qualities • Spirituality, freedom, responsibility • Quest for meaningful life is need for • Purpose and values • A sense of self-efficacy and self-worth

36. The End