Group 1 Reporting

What is Moral Character

and development?
 Definition of terms
•Character
A character is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, television series, film, or
video game.

The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction of a
"fictional" versus "real" character may be made.

This can be also referred to as the characteristics or a kind of person one is.

•Moral
Morals are the prevailing standards of behavior that enable people to live cooperatively in groups. Moral
refers to what societies sanction as right and acceptable
Most people tend to act morally and follow societal guidelines. Morality often requires that people
sacrifice their own short-term interests for the benefit of society. People or entities that are indifferent to
right and wrong are considered amoral, while those who do evil acts are considered immoral.
•Development
Development is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change
or the addition of physical, economic, environmental, social and
demographic components.
How does a moral character develop?
 Four ethical components in the moral
character and development
Moral reasoning plays a big role in our lives especially when making choices that have
effects in our own or on others. Such choices require critical thinking as well as having proper
judgment and appraisal of a situation before making a conclusion and deciding.
When making choices, people tend to think about a lot of things like considering the factors, the
effects, who will be affected, consequences etc. In that regard, there are four (4) ethical
components with regards moral reasoning.
• Moral sensitivity - is the ability to see an ethical dilemma, including how our actions will affect
others.

• Moral judgment - is the ability to reason correctly about what needs to be done in a specific
situation.

• Moral motivation - a personal commitment to moral action, accepting responsibility for the
outcome.

• Moral character - courageous persistence in spite of fatigue or temptations to take the easy
way out.
 What Is Moral Character and
Development?
• Embedded in this rather ordinary example are moral themes about
fairness or justice, on the one hand, and about consideration or care on
the other. It is important to keep both themes in mind when thinking
about how students develop beliefs about right or wrong.
• A morality of justice is about human rights—or more specifically, about
respect for fairness, impartiality, equality, and individuals’ independence.
A morality of care, on the other hand, is about human responsibilities—
more specifically, about caring for others, showing consideration for
individuals’ needs, and interdependence among individuals.
• Morality is a system of beliefs about what is right and good compared to
what is wrong or bad.
• Moral development refers to changes in moral beliefs as a person grows
older and gains maturity.
 What Is Moral Character and
Development?
Moral Character refers to how a person characteristics or behaviour. It
also refers to having or not having values or vices in a person’s
character.
An example of this can be St. Augustine wherein he was a sinful young
boy and he transitioned into a person of benevolence because of his
mother.
Having a good sense of moral character allows a person to make
reasonable decisions and know what is right and wrong. Being able to
think of the right actions when a certain scenario regarding morla
dilemmas occur and the like.
 How Kohlberg Developed His
Theory, a little background
Kohlberg’s theory was an expansion of Jean Piaget’s work regarding
cognitive development wherein there are 4 stages that children undergo
as they grow.

Jean Piaget’s theory did not only focus on how children acquired
knowledge but also onn understanding the nature of intelligence. In his
theory, there are four stages:
• Sensorimotor age: birth to 2 years

• Preoperational stage: ages 2 to 7

• Concrete operational stage: ages 7 to 11

• Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up

How Kohlberg Developed His
Theory
• Kohlberg based his theory on a series of moral dilemmas presented
to his study subjects. Participants were also interviewed to determine
the reasoning behind their judgments in each scenario.

• One example was "Heinz Steals the Drug." In this scenario, a woman
has cancer and her doctors believe only one drug might save her.
This drug had been discovered by a local pharmacist and he was
able to make it for $200 per dose and sell it for $2,000 per dose. The
woman's husband, Heinz, could only raise $1,000 to buy the drug.

• He tried to negotiate with the pharmacist for a lower price or to be

extended credit to pay for it over time. But the pharmacist refused to
sell it for any less or to accept partial payments. Rebuffed, Heinz
instead broke into the pharmacy and stole the drug to save his wife.
Kohlberg asked, "Should the husband have done that?"
 How Kohlberg Developed His
Theory, a little background
Taking inspiration from Jean Piaget’s work, Kohlberg and his associates were
able to make their own theory. Six stages of moral development were
proposed which are grouped into three levels.

He believed that moral development is like cognitive development wherein it

follows stages.

Through the use of moral dilemmas, he taught boys within the age range of
10-16 years old regarding morality and values.

The “Heinz” dilemma was the best known moral dilemma that he has
formulated wherein it tackles about obeying the laws versus saving a life.

According to Kohlberg, this is the way how an individual reasons about a

dilemma that determines positive moral development.
 Stages of Moral Character and
Development by Lawrence Kohlberg
•Level 1: Preconventional justice
• Preconventional morality is the earliest period of moral development.

• It lasts until around the age of 9. At this age, children's decisions are primarily
shaped by the expectations of adults and the consequences for breaking the rules.

Stage 1:obedience and punishment

• obedience and punishment are especially common in young children.

• According to Kohlberg, people at this stage see rules as fixed and absolute.

• Obeying the rules is important because it is a way to avoid punishment.

• Stage 2 : Instrumental Orientation

This stage refers to the idea regarding what will a person/child gain. The
right behavior is understood if it suits their best interest.

Actions are done whenever there is a reward or a sense of reciprocity.

An example can be taking white hairs off of grandparents hair in

exchange for coins per hair strand.
Level 2 : Conventional Morality
The next period of moral development is marked by the acceptance of social rules
regarding what is good and moral. During this time, adolescents and adults internalize
the moral standards they have learned from their role models and from society.
This period also focuses on the acceptance of authority and conforming to the
norms of the group. In a sense, a child’s sense of morality is related to personal and
societal relationships.

•Stage 3: Developing Good Interpersonal Relationships

Often referred to as the "good boy-good girl" orientation, this stage of the
interpersonal relationship of moral development is focused on living up to social
expectations and roles. There is an emphasis on conformity, being "nice," and
consideration of how choices influence relationships.
Also in this stage, children want the approval or acknowledgement of others and
avoid making actions that would result them being punished.

•Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order

This stage is focused on ensuring that social order is maintained. At this stage of
moral development, people begin to consider society as a whole when making
judgments. The focus is on maintaining law and order by following the rules, doing one’s
duty, and respecting authority.
Level 3: Postconventional
At this level of moral development, people develop an understanding of
abstract principles of morality. The idea of some laws are unjust and should be
changed developed. Instances of disobeying may occur due to the
inconsistency of the rules with their own principles.

•Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights

The ideas of a social contract and individual rights cause people in the next
stage to begin to account for the differing values, opinions, and beliefs of other
people. Rules of law are important for maintaining a society, but members of
the society should agree upon these standards.
Consider, for example, the laws in some areas that require motorcyclists
to wear helmets. In what sense are the laws about this behavior ethical? Was
it created by consulting with and gaining the consent of the relevant people?
Were cyclists consulted and did they give consent? Or how about doctors or
the cyclists’ families? Reasonable, thoughtful individuals disagree about how
thoroughly and fairly these consultation processes should be.
•Stage 6: Universal Principles
Kohlberg’s final level of moral reasoning is based on universal ethical
principles and abstract reasoning. At this stage, people follow these
internalized principles of justice, even if they conflict with laws and rules.

People have the right to follow the principles they think are righteous and
whenever they disobey those principles, guilt can be felt.
Application of Kohlberg’s
theory in Moral Dilemmas
Discussion
 HOW DOES A MORAL CHARACTER DEVELOP?
FOUR THEORIES:
1.External/Social Theory - includes behaviorists and sociologists who
view morality as a product of external imposition in the form of
consequences and the intentional transmission of social rules and norms,
respectively.
•human nature is neutral (blank slate)
•conditioning perspective (Skinner, 1971)
•family as the primary interpreter of culture
•religions as central cultural forces.

2.Internal Theory includes nativists and sociobiologists who commonly

focus on genetic and maturational influences;
•Rousseau (1979) believes that human nature is essentially good;
•Clark and Grunstein (2000), found that up to 50% of variance in behavior
may be genetically determined;
•Wilson’s (1975, 1998) view is that our sense of right and wrong is the result
of biological evolution interacting with culture and social convention.
3.Interactional Theory is moral character development that is in
constant struggle between biological predispositions to act selfishly and
aggressively and social pressures to act in a prosocial manner. (instinctual vs.
maturational)
• Human nature is institutionally anti-social and undeveloped (Freud,
1990).
•developing conscience and morals is primarily one of middle childhood
(Erickson, 1993)
•There are 3 psychological transformations in the individual / social
relationship: (1) in early childhood, (2) in middle childhood and early
adolescence, t and (3) in later adolescence (Hogan & Emler, 1995)

4.Personality / Identity Theory includes theories that find virtue rooted

in Personality and personal identity.
•virtues as a combination of (a) natural predispositions and (b) interactions
with the environment that involve both reflection and commitment to moral
values and behavior.
•As personality constructs, virtues are habitual ways of thinking, feeling,
committing, and acting that reflect moral character.
Vessels (1998) states that people with moral character are
predisposed to:

• show kindness and compassion with empathetic understanding;

• show the courage to be honest and principled irrespective of
circumstances;
• acquire a wide range of abilities that enable them to
independently resolve problems where moral values and
principles may be in conflict;
• display a high level of effort in their daily work,
• and a high level of commitment to individual and group goals
and standards.
 Stages of Moral Character and Development by
Lawrence Kohlberg
• The Theory of Moral Development is a very interesting subject
that stemmed from Jean Piaget’s Theory of Moral Reasoning.
Developed by Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, this Theory
made us understand that morality starts the early childhood and
can be affected by several factors.

WHO IS LAWRENCE KOHLBERG?

• Lawrence Kohlberg is well-known theorist to modern Psychology.
Born in 1927 to a wealthy family, Lawrence Kohlberg lived a
modest life.
• He studied psychology at the University of Chicago in the late
1940s and 1950s, completing his dissertation in 1958. His
dissertation outlined the theory that he is now quite well-known
for: Kohlberg’s stages of moral development.
• He was the director of Harvard's Center for Moral Education. His
special area of interest is the moral development of children - how they
develop a sense of right, wrong, and justice.
• Kohlberg observed that growing children advance through definite
stages of moral development in a manner similar to their progression
through Piaget's well-known stages of cognitive development.
STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Level I: Pre Conventional Morality
Stage 1: Punishment – Avoidance and Obedience:
-“Might makes right.”
-Avoidance of Physical Punishment and deference to
Power.
Stage 2: Instrumental Exchange: “The EGOIST”
-Marketplace exchange of favors or blows. “You
scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
-Justice is: “Do unto others as they do unto you.”
Level II: Conventional Morality
Stage 3: Interpersonal (Tribal) Conformity
-“Good Boy / Good Girl”
-A person acts to gain approval by being
conventionally “respectable” and “nice.”
Stage 4: Law and Order (Societal Conformity)
-“The Good Citizen”
-Respect for fixed rules, laws and properly
constituted authority. Defense of the given social
and institutional order for its own sake.
Responsibility toward the welfare of others in the
society.
Level III: Post Conventional Morality
Stage 5: Prior Rights and Social Contract
-“The Philosopher King”
 -Individual acts out of mutual obligation and a sense of public
good. Right action tends to be defined in terms of general individuals
rights, and in terms of standards that have been critically examined and
agreed upon by the whole society/
Stage 6: Universal, Ethical Principles
- “The Prophet / Messiah”
-An individual who reaches this stage acts out of universal
principles based upon the equality and worth of all living beings. Persons
are never means to an end, but are ends in themselves.
Application of Kohlberg’s Theory in Moral Dilemmas
1.Heinz Dilemma
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 if." So, having tried every legal
means, Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking into the
man's store to steal the drug for his wife.
QUESTIONS
1. Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal the drug? Why is it right or
wrong?
2. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to steal the drug? Why or why
not?
3. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Does it
make a difference in what Heinz should do whether or not he loves his
wife? Why or why not?
4. Is it important for people to do everything they can to save another's
life? Why or why not?
5. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the
law? Why or why not?
2.Heinz Dilemma
Jose is a military doctor assigned in a war-torn village in
Maguindanao. He studied in a state university in the city and was a
consistent student leader during his college days. He earned his degree
through a scholarship sponsored by Amnesty International. One night,
soft knocks awakened him. When he opened the door, a severely
wounded man asked for his help. He got serious gunshot wounds on his
right leg and left shoulder. He brought the wounded man in his clinic, and
while attending to him, the man fell unconscious. Days passed and the
man slowly recovered. He introduced himself as Ka David, and admitted
to him his affiliation to the leftists. Ka David divulged his mission to Dr.
Jose in exchange of the latter’s promise not to turn him over to military.
Ka David’s mission is to penetrate the town’s municipal hall and abduct
the mayor.
QUESTIONS
1. Is it actually right or wrong to kill a bad person? Why is it right or
wrong?
2. Does Jose have a duty or obligation reveal the plans to his superior?
Why or why not?
3. If Jose is not involved in military, should he squeal the plan to the
authority? Does it make a difference in what Jose should do whether or
nothe his affiliated to military? Why or why not?
4. Should we always uphold the truth, and the law?
5. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the
law? Why or why not?
Lastly, for both dilemmas, identify what stage of moral development your
answer may be categorized?