2008: MORAL DECISION-MAKING

(a)

Describe the stages of moral development outlined by one moral theorist

you have studied (40 marks)

According to psychologist Jean Piaget, children progress through a series of two

stages of cognitive development marked by shifts in how they understand the world.
Piaget believed that actively try to explore and make sense of the world around
them. Through his observations of his own children, Piaget developed a stage theory
of intellectual development that included four distinct stages.
In the first stage of moral development, often called heteronomous morality,
children follow strict rules and are completely obedient to authority. This occurs in
younger children in part because of their cognitive development. For young children,
rules are seen as inflexible things that do not change, which Piaget calls moral
realism, in part due to a childs tendency to believe in moral absolutes and are
inclined to only see a situation from their limited perspective.
Children in this stage are also judge how wrong a particular action is by its
immediate consequences; negative consequences or punishment is seen as an
automatic response to breaking a rule. Piaget also noted that social relationships
between adults and children also supported this stage: adults have a natural
authority over children of a young age, and power and rules are handed down
without discussion.
In the second stage, or heteronomous morality, as children begin to learn new things
about the world through their interactions with other children and adults, they
progress into the second stage of moral development. In this stage, Piaget states
that children learn how to critically evaluate rules and apply them based on cooperation and respect.
Children also begin to learn to take the perspective of others in this stage and
empathize with others by including ideal reciprocity in their understanding of justice.
Ideal reciprocity refers to a type of fairness beyond simple reciprocity and includes a
consideration of another person's best interests. It is best described by the familiar
adage, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, which many people
know as the Golden Rule. Adolescents who have reached ideal reciprocity will
imagine a problem from another person's perspective and try to place themselves in
another person's shoes, before making a moral decision.
In conclusion, it is no surprise to learn of Piagets renowned recognition within the
fields of both psychology and education through his theory of cognitive and moral
development. Despite of its subjugation under considerable modern criticism, such
as Piagets miscalculation of childrens abilities, the theory has had a considerable
impact on our understanding of child development.