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From a Latin word “Moralis”
◦ A behavior conform to the community norms
◦ Acceptable by the society
◦ Awareness about
 What is good/bad
 What is right/wrong
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trustworthy
fair
communityness
polite
unselfish
free
respect others
punctual
cooperate
thankful
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tolerable
Good natured
rational
independent
loving
brave
diligent
hygienic
moderate
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Moral development refers to .....
◦ Values acquirement and awareness about what is right
or wrong  based on code of ethics set by the
community
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Moral definition differs (what is good/bad) 
depending on culture & community
◦ Example: Living together without marriage
Abortion
Sex before marriage
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A moral person
◦ Able to identify
 Good (right) behavior , and
 Bad (wrong) behavior
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A person ability to differentiate between what is
good or bad is influence by
◦ Their ability to understand
 intention
 Society rules and code of ethics
 Values and culture of the society
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This ability is influenced by ones cognitive and
psychosocial development
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Affective (emotion)
Cognitive (thoughts)
Behavior
This is related to standards of right and
wrong.
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First stimulated by Piaget (1932).
Observed children 4-12 years old playing
marbles.
Ask children about ethical issues (theft, lies,
punishment and justice)
2 distinct morality (depending on child’s
maturity):
◦ Heteronomous morality
◦ Autonomous morality
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Heteronomous morality (4-7 years old)
◦ Justice and rule are conceived as unchangeable
◦ What is right/wrong is based on consequences of
behavior rather than intention; believes in
immanent justice (punishment immediately follow
wrong doings)
◦ Adherence to rules and obedience to authority.
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Autonomous morality (10 years old)
◦ Aware that rules and law are created by people
◦ In judging action, consider intention and
consequences.
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Lawrence Kohlberg's ideas of moral development
are based on the premise that:
◦ at birth, all humans are void of morals, ethics, and
honesty.
◦ Family as the first source of values and moral
development for an individual.
◦ One's intelligence and ability to interact with others
matures & one's patterns of moral behavior
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Kohlberg developed a model of
moral development based on
responses to moral dilemmas.
Kohlberg theory is based on a person
reasoning ability when faced with
certain isues  at every stages
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According to Kohlberg:◦ Moral development occurs in stages
◦ Moral development is universal and occurs in 3
main stages.
 Stage 1: PRECONVENTIONAL
 Stage 2: CONVENTIONAL
 Stage 3: POSTCONVENTIONAL
◦ Each main stage is further sub divide into 2
sub-stage
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Stage 1: PRECONVENTIONAL
◦ Sub stage 1: Punishment-obedience orientation
◦ Sub stage 2: Personal reward orientation
Stage 2: CONVENTIONAL
◦ Sub stage 3: Good boy-nice girl orientation
◦ Sub stage 4: Law and order orientation
Stage 3: POSTCONVENTIONAL
◦ Sub stage 5: Social contract orientation
◦ Sub stage 6: Universal ethical principle orientation
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Right or wrong depend on the consequences 
influence by outside factors
◦ Sub stage 1: Punishment-obedience orientation
• Main motive  to avoid punishment (How can I
avoid punishment?)
◦ Sub stage 2: Personal reward orientation (Self
interest orientation)
 Children obey  for the reward (What's in it for
me?)
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Must obey & follow norms/regulation  set by the society
Children can accept other people ideas, intention &
motives
Sub stage 3: Good boy-nice girl orientation
(Interpersonal accord & conformity – Social Norms)
 What is right  what is being praised or
agreed by the authority
Sub stage 4: Law and order orientation [Authority and
social-order maintaining orientation] - Law and order
morality
what is right  what have been fixed by the
authority, according to the rules conducted by
the authority
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Adolescent understand the reasons behind the
development of any rules and laws from social
contract  compliance by all
Sub stage 5: Social contract orientation
• Understand the reasons behind the development
of any rules/laws
Sub stage 6: Universal ethical principle orientation
◦ Labelling what is right or wrong is based on
universal principle  formed based on respect
towards everybody  regardless of religion or race
◦ International acknowledgement.
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In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind
of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought
might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist
in the same town had recently discovered. The drug
was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging
ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid
$400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small
dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz,
went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and
tried every legal means, but he could only get together
about $2,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the
druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell
it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said,
"No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make
money from it." So, having tried every legal means,
Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking into the
man's store to steal the drug for his wife.
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Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to
steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?
From a theoretical point of view, it is not
important what the participant thinks that Heinz
should do.
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Kohlberg's theory holds that the justification the
participant offers is what is significant, the form
of their response.
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Stage one (obedience): Heinz should not steal the medicine
because he will consequently be put in prison which will mean he
is a bad person. Or: Heinz should steal the medicine because it is
only worth $200 and not how much the druggist wanted for it;
Heinz had even offered to pay for it and was not stealing anything
else.
Stage two (self-interest): Heinz should steal the medicine because
he will be much happier if he saves his wife, even if he will have to
serve a prison sentence. Or: Heinz should not steal the medicine
because prison is an awful place, and he would probably languish
over a jail cell more than his wife's death.
Stage three (conformity): Heinz should steal the medicine because
his wife expects it; he wants to be a good husband. Or: Heinz
should not steal the drug because stealing is bad and he is not a
criminal; he tried to do everything he could without breaking the
law, you cannot blame him.
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Stage four (law-and-order): Heinz should not steal the medicine
because the law prohibits stealing, making it illegal. Or: Heinz
should steal the drug for his wife but also take the prescribed
punishment for the crime as well as paying the druggist what he is
owed. Criminals cannot just run around without regard for the law;
actions have consequences.
Stage five (human rights): Heinz should steal the medicine because
everyone has a right to choose life, regardless of the law. Or: Heinz
should not steal the medicine because the scientist has a right to
fair compensation. Even if his wife is sick, it does not make his
actions right.
Stage six (universal human ethics): Heinz should steal the
medicine, because saving a human life is a more fundamental
value than the property rights of another person. Or: Heinz should
not steal the medicine, because others may need the medicine just
as badly, and their lives are equally significant.
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