Psychology2016

340 CHAPTER 8

of everyone else’s world, just as they are the

center of their own. This explains the intense

self-consciousness that many adolescents expe-

rience concerning what others think about how

the adolescent looks or behaves.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT Another important

aspect in the cognitive advances that occur in

adolescence concerns the teenager’s under-

standing of “right” and “wrong.” Harvard

University professor Lawrence Kohlberg was

a developmental psychologist who, influ-

enced by Piaget and others, outlined a theory

of the development of moral thinking through looking at how people of various ages

responded to stories about people caught up in moral dilemmas (see Figure 8. 8 for an

example of a dilemma). Kohlberg (1973) proposed three levels of moral development, or

the knowledge of right and wrong behavior. These levels are summarized in Ta b l e 8. 5 ,

along with an example of each type of thinking. Although these stages are associated

with certain age groups, adolescents and adults can be found at all three levels. For

example, a juvenile delinquent tends to be preconventional in moral thinking.

Kohlberg’s theory has been criticized as being male oriented and biased toward West-

ern cultures, especially since he used only males in his studies (Gilligan, 1982; Snarey, 1985).

Carol Gilligan (1982) proposed that men and women have different perspectives on morality:

Men tend to judge as moral the actions that lead to a fair or just end, whereas women tend to

judge as moral the actions that are nonviolent and hurt the fewest people. Earlier research-

ers did not find consistent support for gender differences in moral thinking (Walker, 1991),

although more recent research suggests that males are more willing than females to accept

the idea of committing a harmful actions when it is in the interest of the greater good (Fries-

dorf et al., 2015), a finding that seems to support Gilligan’s proposal. Another criticism is that

Kohlberg’s assessment of moral development involves asking people what they think should

be done in hypothetical moral dilemmas. What people say they will do and what people

actually do when faced with a real dilemma are often two different things.

Psychosocial Development

8.11 Describe how the adolescent search for personal identity influences

relationships with others.

The development of personality and social relationships in adolescence primarily con-

cerns the search for a consistent sense of self or personal identity.

ERIKSON’S IDENTITY VERSUS ROLE CONFUSION The psychosocial crisis that must be

faced by the adolescent, according to Erikson, is that of identity versus role confusion.

Figure 8.8 Example of a Moral Dilemma

The ant worked long and hard over the summer to gather food for himself and

his family. The grasshopper, who preferred to play and be lazy all summer, laughed

at the ant for working so hard. The ant said, “you will be sorry this winter when

you have no food.” Sure enough, when winter came the very sorry grasshopper,

cold and hungry, came to the ant and begged for food and shelter. Should the ant

give food and shelter to the grasshopper?

Example of a Moral Dilemma

Table 8.5 Kohlberg’s Three Levels of Morality

Level of Morality How Rules are Understood Example

Preconventional morality

(very young children)

Morality of an action is based on the consequences;

actions that get rewarded are right and those that earn

punishment are wrong.

A child who takes money from a parent’s wallet and does

not get caught does not see that action as wrong.

Conventional* morality

(older children, adolescents,

and most adults)

An action is morally right if it conforms to the rules of the

society and wrong if it does not.

A child scolds a parent for littering because there is a sign

saying not to do so.

Postconventional morality

(about one-fifth of the adult

population)

Morality is now determined by the experiences and

judgment of the person, even if that judgment disagrees

with society’s rules.

A husband helps his dying wife commit suicide to end

her pain, even though society considers that action to be

murder.

*The term conventional refers to general standards or norms of behavior for a particular society, which will differ from one social group or culture to another.

identity versus role confusion
stage of Rersonality develoRment
in which the adolescent must find
a  consistent sense of self.