Freud's, Piaget's, Kohlberg's, and Gilligan's views of moral development.
In 1 - 2 paragraphs, (1) contrast Freud's, Piaget's, Kohlberg's, and Gilligan's views of moral development. What gaps were there in each researcher's development of his/her theory?
Here's a summary of the views of these four psychologists on moral development:
Sigmund Freud
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- Psychoanalytic Theory: Focused on the unconscious mind and how childhood experiences shape personality.
- Moral Development: Believed the superego, the internalized moral compass, forms during the phallic stage (ages 3-7) through identification with the parent of the same sex.
- Emphasis: Internalization of rules and authority figures.
Jean Piaget
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- Cognitive Development Theory: Believed that cognitive development happens through stages where children actively construct their understanding of the world.
- Moral Development: Claimed that morality is tied to cognitive development. Children progress through stages where their sense of right and wrong becomes more sophisticated.
- Emphasis: Reasoning and understanding the rules of society.
Lawrence Kohlberg
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- Theory of Moral Development: Built upon Piaget's work, proposing six stages of moral reasoning across three levels (pre-conventional, conventional, post-conventional).
- Moral Development: Moral reasoning progresses from a focus on punishment and reward to upholding universal ethical principles.
- Emphasis: Justice and fairness
Carol Gilligan
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- Gender and Moral Development: Criticized Kohlberg's theory for being biased towards a masculine morality focused on justice.
- Moral Development: Proposed an "ethics of care" perspective, where morality is also based on empathy, compassion, and responsibility for others.
- Emphasis: Relationships and care for others.
Criticisms
- All these theories are stage-based, which may not reflect the fluidity of moral development.
- Freud and Kohlberg have been criticized for being gender-biased.
- Piaget may have underestimated children's moral reasoning abilities.