Kohlberg’s theory of moral development emphasizes how morality
and moral reasoning is developed in children. Every person has to
pass through distinctive stages to transform into morally responsible
individuals. At the first level focus is on obedience and punishment
and individual interests. In the second level, emphasis is given to
interpersonal and authority aspects. In the third level, a person
develops an independent moral conception, and a universal set of
moral principles are in place that must be followed (Yilmaz et al.,
2020). In the case involving Kevin, his thinking process can play an
instrumental role o that he can distinguish between right and wrong.
If he opts for ghost-ticking practice, it will imply that he is focusing on
self-interest instead of focusing on his responsibility as the auditor of
Stooges LLP. Similarly, such a moral development process of Bo and
Moe can impact how they support Kevin to work in a healthy
environment.
The Four-Component Model that was developed by Rest states that
the ethical action that a person takes is the outcome of a number of
psychological processes, including moral sensitivity, moral reasoning,
moral motivation and moral character (Forbes et al., 2018). In the
specific case, when a decision has to be taken, it is vital to understand
the existence of an ethical issue. Bo and Moe must acknowledge the
challenges that Kevin is facing due to his depression so that they can
provide proper assistance to him. After they have decided to help
Kevin, they need to be motivated to implement the decision. For the
execution of the plan, moral character on their part is vital. Similarly,
when Kevin is informed about the ghost-ticking practice, he must
demonstrate his moral character and avoid following the practice.
The ethical decision-making model focuses on evaluating a dilemma,
thinking in advance, helping, use of information, calculating risk and
selecting an action plan (Hauck & Ling, 2021,p .1). By adopting such a
model, Bo and Moe could have identified that Kevin is struggling and
he requires assistance for performing his auditing functions.
In the case, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is ideal for
analyzing the ethical aspects. This model would ensure that every
individual passes through a series of stages to identify an action that
is morally responsible and appropriate. The specific model was
chosen over the other two since it focuses on social development,
emotional development and moral development that influence the
ethical behavior of a person (Zhang & Zhao, 2017). By focusing on
these elements it was possible to get a comprehensive insight into the
morality of involved individuals in the case.
References
Forbes, J. E., Hebb, A. M., & Mu, E. (2018). Ethical Decision Making in
Action: Evaluating Hospital Care Attendance Approaches.
International Journal of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, 10(3).
Hauck, J. M., & Ling, T. J. (2021). Ethical Decision-Making as a
Valuable Clinical Tool. In Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Creative Arts
Therapies (pp. 204-209). Routledge.
Yilmaz, S., Aykota, M. R., Sari, T., Karakaya, Y. A., & Erdem, E. (2020).
Simple peripheral blood cell parameters: neutrophil/lymphocyte,
platelet/lymphocyte and monocyte/lymphocyte ratios do not
determine breast cancer subtypes. Indian Journal of Surgery, 1-6.
Zhang, Q., & Zhao, H. (2017). An analytical overview of Kohlberg’s
theory of moral development in college moral education in mainland
China. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 5(8), 151-160.
