129Moral dEVElopMEnt In youth
Human development and growing up is a gradual process.
Ever since the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget specified
his theory on the stages of intelligence development
in the middle of the 20th Century, most development
psychologists agree on this. The development of ‘moral
judgement’ and ‘religious judgement’ occur gradually just like
reasoning and spatial thinking. The reason moral judgement
is referred to here and not ethics or religion is that the
process of thinking is prevalent, not the resulting decision. It
is important how one argues, and which or whose norms
are being considered.
Pre-school children already make a difference between
good and evil, and between right and wrong: Right is what
Mom and Dad say. There are no exceptions to the rule.
Only later, in the course of growing up, and mostly through a
disruption of the previously understood worldview (all of a
sudden mom and dad are not always right), new aspects are
consulted and the moral judgement is passed on to a higher
stage of development and based on different arguments.
Lawrence Kohlberg, whose work is based on Piaget’s
theories, thinks that moral development does not necessarily
end on attaining adulthood, but continues throughout life.
Accordingly, the following age statements in Kohlberg’s stages
of moral development are rough guidelines:
Pre-conventional stage (infant age)
- Stage 1: Orientation along punishment and obedience:
Whatever is not punished is good. - Stage 2: Purpose-means-thinking: Whatever is rewarded
is good.
Conventional stage (school age)
- Stage 3: Orientation along the maintenance of good
relations (‘I am loved, when I am a good and brave child’). - Stage 4: Orientation along law and order.
Post-conventional, autonomous stage (teenagers)
- Stage 5: Orientation along the social contract: It is good
to support the basic rights as well as basic values and
contracts of a society, even if they collide with specific
rules and laws of a social sub-system. - Stage 6: Orientation along universally valid, ethical
principles (Kant’s Categorical Imperative).
(For more details in German see: http://arbeitsblaetter.
stangl-taller.at/MORALISCHEENTWICKLUNG/
KohlbergTabelle.shtml)The transition to a higher stage usually occurs because
of a ‘disruption’ of the present stage, old perceptions and
regulations no longer work, new perceptions and ways
of thinking are added, etc. This happens either in actual
situations when facing a dilemma, in the handling of them
or whenever people exchange, debate and have time to
reflect. This is exactly what lecturers can take advantage
of by having the students discuss critical situations – moral
dilemmas. The ‘moral dilemma’ is also a scientific method
used to determine the stages of moral development.
Here, it is to help students develop their moral thinking by
intensively dealing with a dilemma. Through the discussion
the students can reach a higher level (stage) of moral
thinking, for example from stage 4 to stage 5.thE dIlEMMa – an ExaMplEA dilemma exists when there are at least two
contradictory principles (moral principles, values). A
dilemma can only be resolved if one of these principles is
violated. Such dilemmas raise the question, which principle
can be violated or restricted and by which other moral
principles is this justified?The following dilemma was developed for this publication:Maria, a woman aged 28, started to work for an international
fashion company four months ago. Her boss offered her the
opportunity to develop a project: she has to arrange all the
fabric for the production of the new summer collection of
women’s t-shirts. She has to buy all the materials, organize
transportation, and so on. This project is her big chance to
secure her future within the company and have any chance of
meeting her targets and getting her bonus.The project must be a success for her. But a problem occurs.
There is US $60,000 left in the project budget but she cannot
afford to buy the required amount of black fabric with this.
She has already asked her boss and colleagues where to buy
cheaper fabric. But no one knows or can help her. She has got
just two weeks to find the fabric. The only option she can find
at the right price is to buy the fabric from a factory in China,
which is rumoured to have child labour, low wages and poor
working conditions. She can’t find out anything about thecross-currIcular