LESSON 5: MORAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY

By: Lawrence A. Kohlberg (1927-1987)

Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is a theory that focuses on how children develop morality and
moral reasoning. Kohlberg’s theory suggests that moral development occurs in a series of six stages. The
theory also suggests that moral logic is primarily focused on seeking and maintaining justice.

Obedience/Punishment

No difference between doing the right thing and avoiding punishment.

Self-interest

Interest shifts to reward rather than punishment, effort is made to secure greatest benefit for oneself.

Conformity and Interpersonal Accord

The “good boy/girl” level. Effort is made to secure approval and maintain friendly relation to others.

Authority and Social Order

Orientation toward fixed rules. The purpose of morality is maintaining the social order. Interpersonal
accord is expanded to include the entire society.

Social Contract

Mutual benefit, reciprocity. Morally right and legally right are not always the same. Utilitarian rules that
make life better for everyone.

Universal Principle

Morality is based on principle that transcend mutual benefit.

LESSON 6: INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION THEORY

- refers to the socialization and social learning that helps to explain the ways in which children
growing up in a violent family learn violent roles
- Intergenerational transmission refers to the transfer of individual abilities, traits, behaviors and outcomes
from parents to their children. ... Intergenerational transmission refers to the transfer of individual
abilities, traits, behaviors, and outcomes from parents to their children.

LESSON 7: ALTERNATIVE THEORY

Alternative theory beats the famous saying “opposite charges attracts”

- A belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgment: staked out the house on the theory
that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime.
- focuses on assortative mating where female offenders tend to cohabit with or get married to male offenders.

Two main classes of explanation concerning why “similar people” tend to get married or become partners:

1. Social Homogamy where convicted people tend to choose each other because of physical and social
proximity: they meet each other in the same schools, neighborhood, clubs and etc.
2. Phenotypic Assortment where people examine each other’s personality and behavior and choose
partners who are similar to themselves.

LESSON 8: DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION-REINFORCEMENT THEORY

- Ernest W. Burgess and Ronald L. Akers combined Bandura's social learning theory and Sutherland’s
theory of differential association to produce the theory of differential-association reinforcement.
- People tend to repeat behaviors that are reinforced or rewarded and are less likely to continue behaviors
that aren’t reinforced.

Ex.

 If the child gets zero in his quiz and the mother will still give reward to that child then the child
would think that it is alright to not study and would only cheat out of laziness
 If a pupil whose teacher-one she considers one as a very important person- punishes her for her
wrongdoings then there’s a big possibility that the pupil would take the punishment seriously
and would change for good.