Freud’s, Piaget’s, Kohlberg’s, and Gilligan’s views of moral development.

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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?

Sample Solution

Here’s a summary of the views of these four psychologists on moral development:

Sigmund Freud

    • 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.
Image of Sigmund FreudOpens in a new windowen.wikipedia.org

Jean Piaget

    • 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.
Image of Jean PiagetOpens in a new windowwww.britannica.com

Lawrence Kohlberg

    • 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
Image of Lawrence KohlbergOpens in a new windownursing-theory.org

Carol Gilligan

    • 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.
Image of Carol GilliganOpens in a new windowits.law.nyu.edu

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.

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