Course 1.5 – Changing Man
Problem 6. Moral development
Moral development
Moral development involves changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding right or
wrong standards. There are two dimensions of moral development:
1. Intrapersonal: regulates person’s activities when they are not engaged in social
interactions
2. Interpersonal: regulates social interaction and judges conflict.
Internalization: Adopting standards and attributes of others as their own. The basic
milestone for moral development
Developmentalist Look at Morality
Developmental theorizing proposed some basic components:
1. Affective or Emotional: Consists of feelings, like guilt, concern, shame, pride for
right or wrong actions that motivate moral thoughts and actions. Affective morality
2. Cognitive: The thinking for right or wrong and make decisions about how to behave.
Moral reasoning
3. Behavioral: Actions, behavior when we experience temptation to lie, cheat, or
violate other moral rules. Moral behavior
Affective component – Parenting
Formation of conscience when securely attached to parents.
Mutually responsive relationship: parent-child relationship characterized by mutual
responsiveness to each other’s needs and goals and share a positive effect.
Mutually responsive relationship→ Committed compliance: Based on the child’s eagerness
to cooperate with a responsive parent who is willing to cooperate with them.
Motivated to embrace parent’s agenda and comply to their rules and requests
Sensitive to parent’s emotional signals indicating right or wrong
Beginning to internalize those reactions, start experience feelings and regulate their
actions/behaviors.
Non-mutually responsive relationship→ Situational compliance: Compliance based on the
parent’s power to control the child’s behavior.
Parental Disciplines: Love withdrawal, Power assertion, Induction. Only induction can lead
to positive outcome of moral development.
Proactive strategies: In younger children changing the environment and in older ones talking
with them about values, society etc. so the parent could transmit the ideas.
, Course 1.5 – Changing Man
Problem 6. Moral development
Moral behavior
o Basic processes: Reinforcement and Punishment.
o Social cognitive Theory: Competences & Performance that lead to self-control and
self-regulation.
Moral Feeling
Psychoanalytic Theory: The superego, is the moral part of personality. To avoid distress by
Oedipal, Electra complexes they lead to internalization of the parent’s standards and
develop their superego.
Empathy: Perspective taking development.
Moral Personality
Moral Identity: When individuals have moral notions and commitments that are
central to their life.
Moral Character: Having strong convictions, persisting and overcoming difficulties. If
not they might fail to follow through when under pressure, morally discouraged.
Moral Exemplars: Moral personality, character, identity that led to an excellent life
and commitment.
Cognitive theories: Piaget’s theory
Premoral Period/ Amoral Stage (until 5years old)
The stage where children show little or no awareness/respect of social rules. E.g. they do not
play with intention of winning, they make up their own rules, they believe that the point is
to have fun and take turns.
1. Stage of Moral Realism/ Heteronomous Morality (4-7 years)
They develop great concern and respect for rules. These rules for children come from
authority figures usually their parents. Fairness and justice
Problem 6. Moral development
Moral development
Moral development involves changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding right or
wrong standards. There are two dimensions of moral development:
1. Intrapersonal: regulates person’s activities when they are not engaged in social
interactions
2. Interpersonal: regulates social interaction and judges conflict.
Internalization: Adopting standards and attributes of others as their own. The basic
milestone for moral development
Developmentalist Look at Morality
Developmental theorizing proposed some basic components:
1. Affective or Emotional: Consists of feelings, like guilt, concern, shame, pride for
right or wrong actions that motivate moral thoughts and actions. Affective morality
2. Cognitive: The thinking for right or wrong and make decisions about how to behave.
Moral reasoning
3. Behavioral: Actions, behavior when we experience temptation to lie, cheat, or
violate other moral rules. Moral behavior
Affective component – Parenting
Formation of conscience when securely attached to parents.
Mutually responsive relationship: parent-child relationship characterized by mutual
responsiveness to each other’s needs and goals and share a positive effect.
Mutually responsive relationship→ Committed compliance: Based on the child’s eagerness
to cooperate with a responsive parent who is willing to cooperate with them.
Motivated to embrace parent’s agenda and comply to their rules and requests
Sensitive to parent’s emotional signals indicating right or wrong
Beginning to internalize those reactions, start experience feelings and regulate their
actions/behaviors.
Non-mutually responsive relationship→ Situational compliance: Compliance based on the
parent’s power to control the child’s behavior.
Parental Disciplines: Love withdrawal, Power assertion, Induction. Only induction can lead
to positive outcome of moral development.
Proactive strategies: In younger children changing the environment and in older ones talking
with them about values, society etc. so the parent could transmit the ideas.
, Course 1.5 – Changing Man
Problem 6. Moral development
Moral behavior
o Basic processes: Reinforcement and Punishment.
o Social cognitive Theory: Competences & Performance that lead to self-control and
self-regulation.
Moral Feeling
Psychoanalytic Theory: The superego, is the moral part of personality. To avoid distress by
Oedipal, Electra complexes they lead to internalization of the parent’s standards and
develop their superego.
Empathy: Perspective taking development.
Moral Personality
Moral Identity: When individuals have moral notions and commitments that are
central to their life.
Moral Character: Having strong convictions, persisting and overcoming difficulties. If
not they might fail to follow through when under pressure, morally discouraged.
Moral Exemplars: Moral personality, character, identity that led to an excellent life
and commitment.
Cognitive theories: Piaget’s theory
Premoral Period/ Amoral Stage (until 5years old)
The stage where children show little or no awareness/respect of social rules. E.g. they do not
play with intention of winning, they make up their own rules, they believe that the point is
to have fun and take turns.
1. Stage of Moral Realism/ Heteronomous Morality (4-7 years)
They develop great concern and respect for rules. These rules for children come from
authority figures usually their parents. Fairness and justice
