Download What is Moral Development

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
What influences it ?
1. Temperamental vulnerabilities
 2. Dysfunctional parenting/ family
 3. High risk community (e.g., poverty)
 4. High violent society

Psy 311: Moral Development
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
How does it develop ?
1. Temperamental vulnerabilities
 2. Coercive family interactions
 3. Problems in school
 4. Rejected by peers
 5. Deviant peer group
 6. Evasion of adult monitoring

Psy 311: Moral Development
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
How to prevent it ?
1. Supportive social contexts
 2. Early detection
 3. Early treatment

– Of children
– Of families
– Of neighborhoods
Psy 311: Moral Development
SOCIAL COGNITION
 What

is Social Cognition ?
Thinking about the self and others
– Perceptions, thoughts, emotions
– Motives, intentions, behaviors
Psy 311: Moral Development
Different Kinds of Social
Cognitions
Theory of Mind
 Person Perception
 Role-taking Skills
 “Emotional Intelligence”

Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind
 What is a Theory of Mind?
 Understanding that other people have
mental states that guide or cause their
behavior
– Desires
– Beliefs
– Intentions
Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind, contd.
How does it develop?

INFANCY
– Distinguish between people and objects
– Joint attention
– Pretend play
– Imitation
– Emotional understanding
Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind, contd.
How does it develop?

EARLY CHILDHOOD
– Desire psychology: People act on their
preferences
– Belief-desire psychology: Beliefs are not
always accurate
Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind, contd.
How does it develop?

MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
– Different minds construct different
realities
– Others have complex perspectives
Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind, contd.
What influences it?
Neurological developments
 Cognitive developments
 Symbolic (language) development
 Experience interacting with humans

– Adults
– Siblings
– Friends
Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind, contd.
What influences it?

Interactions with adults
– Secure attachment
– Open expression of emotions
– Focus on desires and preferences
– Focus on thoughts and feelings of
others
Psy 311: Moral Development
Theory of Mind, contd.
What good is it?
Understanding self and others
 Caring about others states and desires
 Interactions with people

– Empathy
– Comforting
Regulating own behavior
 Moral action

Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
 What
is Moral Development ?
– Distinguish right from wrong
– Act on that distinction
– Experience pride in right actions
– Experience guilt, shame, remorse for
wrong actions
Psy 311: Moral Development
Perspectives on Moral
Development
Moral affect
 Moral reasoning
 Moral behavior

Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
 1.
Moral Affect
– Guilt, shame vs. pride
– Empathy
– Prosocial behavior
Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
 2.
Moral Reasoning
– The thinking process that occurs when
we decide whether an act is right or
wrong.

Assumptions:
– Tied to cognitive development
– Invariant sequence
– Universal
Psy 311: Moral Development
Moral Reasoning
 STAGES
 1. Pre-conventional morality
 2. Conventional morality
 3. Post-conventional morality
Psy 311: Moral Development
Moral Reasoning
 1.
Pre-conventional morality
– Pre-operations (preschool)
– Based on consequences
1a. Punishment and obedience
 1b. Instrumental hedonism

Psy 311: Moral Development
Moral Reasoning
 2.
Conventional morality
– Concrete operations (elementary
school)
– Based on authority
2a. “Good boy” and “ good girl”
 2b. Authority and social order

Psy 311: Moral Development
Moral Reasoning
 3.
Post-conventional morality
– Formal operations (adolescence)
– Based on broad moral principles
3a. Social contract principles
 3b. Individual and universal principles

Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
 3.
Moral Behavior
– Learned behavior
– Reinforced and punished
– Modeled by others
– Situation specific
Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
What is Moral Development ?
Regulate actions
 According to right and wrong
 Despite situational pulls

Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
What is Moral Development ?

Construct a moral compass
– Internalization of moral principles
– Development of conscience
– Core feature of identity
Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
How do we promote it ?

DON’Ts
– Permissive parenting
– Harsh and punitive parenting
Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
How do we promote it ?
DISTINGUISH
 Conventions

• from

Moral Rules
– Kindness: caring, sharing
– Honesty: fairness, justice
– Respect: individual rights
Psy 311: Moral Development
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
How do we promote it ?

1. Secure and loving relationship
– Modeling
– Praise for prosocial acts

2. Firm and consistent enforcement
– Monitoring
– Strong emotional tone

3. Induction (reasons)
– Priorities
– Discussion of values
Psy 311: Moral Development
LAST NAME, first name
1. Name 3 factors that influence antisocial behavior.
 2. What is a “theory of mind”?
 2. What develops in moral reasoning?
 3. Name 3 factors that promote moral
development.

Psy 311: Moral Development
Person Perception
 What

is Person Perception?
Understanding and describing other
people.
Psy 311: Moral Development
Person Perception, contd.
How does it develop?

EARLY CHILDHOOD
– Descriptive
• Physical appearance
• Activities
• Global states
– Not enduring qualities
Psy 311: Moral Development
Person Perception, contd.
How does it develop?

MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
– Psychological
• Personality
• Likes and dislikes
– More enduring qualities
Psy 311: Moral Development
Person Perception, contd.
How does it develop?

ADOLESCENCE
– Integrated, organized
• Unique profiles
• Positives and negatives
Psy 311: Moral Development
Role-taking Skills
 What is Role-Taking?
 The ability to adopt another person’s
perspective and
 Understand their thoughts and feelings
in relation to one’s own.
– Predicting consequences of one’s
actions
– Empathy
Psy 311: Moral Development
Role-taking Skills, contd.
How do they develop?

EARLY CHILDHOOD
– Egocentric

MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
– Different points of view

ADOLESCENCE
– Generalized other
Psy 311: Moral Development
END
Psy 311: Moral Development