Moral Development Theories 2
Moral Development Theories
The thought process of how a child learns to develop behaviors and attitudes towards
society that is considered proper is moral development. “The process of schooling necessarily
affects the way children think about issues of right and wrong, so it is important to address those
issues” (Orlich, Harder, Brown, Trevisan, & Miller, 2018). These behaviors and attitudes can be
based on many things such as cultural norms, social norms as well as the rules and laws of said
society. “Society could not function without rules that give people guidance in how to
communicate with one another, how to avoid hurting others, and how to get along in life
generally” (Slavin & Schunk, 2020).
Jean Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development
Jean Piaget believed that there was a connection between cognitive stages of development and
the ability to reason regarding moral issues. In this theory it is believed that cognitive and
abilities develop first while moral development for reasoning came in stages. “As people develop
their cognitive abilities, their understanding of moral problems also becomes more sophisticated”
(Slavin & Schunk, 2020). Meaning that as a child matures, grows, and learns the world around
them is when they start to develop a moral sense of what is considered right and wrong. Piaget
believed in two types of reasoning in children, heteronomous and autonomous morality.
Heteronomous morality, which is also known as moral realism, is morality that is based on the
opinions and rules that are subjected by others. “Young children are consistently faced with
parents and other adults telling them what to do and what not to do” (Slavin & Schunk, 2020).
These rules are made to be believed and not able to be changed, and these judgements are based
on consequences. Autonomous morality begins around the preteen years when a child becomes
capable of formal operations. The judgments are made on the intentions of a person rather than a
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negative consequence. This is shaped increasingly as a child enters school and encounters their
peers, and their social world expands causing their way of thinking when it comes to morality to
change. “According to Piaget, children progress from the stage of heteronomous morality to that
of autonomous morality with the development of cognitive structures, but also because of
interactions with equal-status peers” (Slavin & Schunk, 2020).
Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development studied how people reason the rules that control their
behavior and attitudes. His focus was on the responses that developed when put in moral
dilemmas. Kohlberg believed that this would raise their consciousness and develop a better
understanding of the motivations of others (Orlich, Harder, Brown, Trevisan, & Miller, 2018).
This theory is six stages of moral reasoning that is divided into three levels. The levels are
preconventional, conventical, and postconventional. “These three levels are distinguished by
how the child or adult defines what he or she receives as correct or moral behavior” (Slavin &
Schunk, 2020). In the preconventional level children obey the people they believe to be in charge
and have the power so that they will not be punished with a negative consequence. The
conventional level, the feelings of others are considered when making a decision. “Because of
the decrease in egocentrism that accompanies concrete operations, children are cognitively
capable of putting themselves in someone else's shoes” (Slavin & Schunk, 2020). They do onto
others as they want done onto them. The final level is the postconventional level and is seen in
fewer than twenty-five percent of the adult population. This is where the belief that the laws are
rules of society are arbitrary, and not the same in every society. That the laws are set in place to
help preserve social order.
Elliot Turiel’s Moral Domain Theory
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Turiel’s Moral Domain Theory focuses on a child’s concept of morality and social knowledge.
This theory is divided into three components which are a child's moral development, their
adherence to social conventions and their views of themselves and others. Turiel’s theory focuses
on moral, social, and psychological components, and believes that they are parallel and all
happening at the same time. (Ryan, 2011). In this theory, morality is structured on harm, welfare,
and fairness since it is believed that actions have a direct effect on other people. It was learned
that children did not like to break rules that were set and were able to tell if things such as
harming someone by hitting was not okay even if there was not a rule that stated that. Fairness
was valued in situations that required taking turns in this theory. Even arbitrary rules were
understood in this theory such as a dress code.
Albert Bandura’s Theory of Moral Development through Social Learning
Bandura’s Theory of Moral Development through social learning believed that children learn
though a social context. It was believed that the world around them modeled what is acceptable
behavior. “They take that behavior that they see, and they internalize that behavior, they
experiment with it, and it is through this experimentation of the behavior that's modeled for them
that they develop their own sense of moral self” (Ryan, 2011). In Bandura’s theory there were
four phases which were the attentional, retention, reproduction, and motivational (Slavin &
Schunk, 2020). After children observe a behavior, they then imitate it and that is how they learn.
In this theory, the models that children observe that have the most influence are warm, powerful,
same sex, and possess desirable objects and characteristics (Ryan, 2011).
Comparison of Piaget and Kohlberg Theory
Piaget and Kohlberg’s theories shared a lot of similarities in how they viewed a child’s cognitive
stages, and how the child's moral reasoning affected their attitudes and behaviors. Kohlberg’s
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theory was an elaboration and refinement of Piaget's theory (Slavin & Schunk, 2020). They both
studied how certain rules that had power over their behavior is situations were reasoned. Both
theories focused more on the reasoning behind a child’s behavior and attitudes, and less on the
child’s answer. In the first stage of both Piaget and Kohlberg’s theories believed that children
simply obey authority figures to avoid being punished (Slavin & Schunk, 2020). While both
theories had similarities on how they based a child's reasoning they both shared some of the same
criticism. Piaget and Kohlberg theories were both believed to have “work those young children
can often reason abut moral situations in more sophisticated ways than a stage theory would
suggest” (Slavin & Schunk, 2020). This is seen when they talked about consequences and
intentions when evaluating children and the distinction of the age gaps.
Differences of Piaget and Bandura’s Theories
One of the biggest differences in Piaget and Bandura’s theories is how they believed moral
reasoning was developed. Piaget believed that cognitive development occurred in stages and at
various times, while Bandura believed that behavior and moral development relied on modeled
behavior and was parallel and happening at the same time. In Piaget’s theory the focus was on
how children’s behavior changes as they grow, learn, and interact with their environment.”
Moral reasoning to one that reflects a system of justice based on cooperation and reciprocity”
(Slavin & Schunk, 2020). Bandura’s theory focused on the biology influences of watching those
around you and imitating that behavior to know how to live and what is acceptable.
Biblical Worldview
Bandura's theory aligns with a Biblical Worldview as it holds biblical principles. The Bible states
“In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Christ himself was like God in
everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own
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benefit” (Philippians 2:5-7, English Standard Version, (ESV), Bible). This an example of
modeling behavior as Jesus modeled the behavior of God. By seeing Jesus model and imitate the
behavior of God he showed everyone that this is the behavior and attitude that a person wants to
strive to be like. Jesus even when on to tell his disciples to be like him weather it was a simple or
complex moral decisions. This is seen in John 13:34 which states “A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34, New
International Version, (NIV), Bible). This advocates the position that Bandura had on modeled
behavior and children looking to authority figures as a place of reference. Jesus modeled moral
behavior and then encouraged us to act like him, as he followed in his father, God’s image and
modeled an appropriate behavior. Jesus first showed us how to model behavior as he did it first
by modeling God and his perfect behavior.
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References
Orlich, D. C., Harder, R. J., Brown, A., Trevisan, M. S., & Miller, D. (2018). Teaching
strategies: A guide to effective instruction. Australia: Cengage Learning.
Ryan, K. O. (Producer). (2011). A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong [Video file].
Learning Seed. Retrieved from Education in Video: Volume I database.
Slavin, R. E. & Schunk, D. H. (2020). Learning Theories (3rd ed.). Pearson.
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