Читать книгу Developmental Psychopathology - Группа авторов - Страница 84

Kohlberg (1958, 1963) contributed to research on moral development by constructing six stages. Preconventional morality is behavior that is influenced by external forces (e.g., rewards and punishments). This level includes stage 1, obedience and punishment, and stage 2, instrumentalism. Stage 1 is marked by blind obedience to authority, avoidance of punishment, and behavior guided by egocentrism, a child’s inability to take another person’s perspective. During stage 2, a child begins to understand that cooperation with others can result in mutual benefit, but the child still maintains a sense of self‐interest. Conventional morality is the second level of Kohlberg’s theory where youth start to comply with social rules and develop a conscience. Egocentrism has begun to dissipate, allowing consideration of other perspectives. Stage 3 of this level is often referred to as “good boy, good girl,” in which people’s actions are motivated by social approval. Stage 4, or “law and order” is when people find importance in “doing one’s duty” and maintaining a sense of order. Those in this stage accept society’s rules in order to prevent chaos and many people demonstrate conventional morality throughout their entire lives. The last level of Kohlberg’s theory, postconventional morality, focuses on personal moral principles instead of relying on conventional standards in society. Social contract and universal ethical principles are stages 5 and 6 and people may not reach these stages of morality in their lifetime. It is possible that people achieve postconventional morality in adolescence, but this level is more commonly seen in adulthood (Kohlberg, 1973).

Kohlberg’s theory has limitations: while he developed his theory with intentions of making it universal, evidence has indicated there are differences in moral reasoning between individualistic and collectivistic cultures. For example, postconventional morality appears to reflect values of Western intellectuals; therefore, it is difficult for non‐Westerners to progress through later stages (Snarey, 1985).