The document consists of information regarding problem 6 of course 1.5 Changing man. These notes are a compilation of information from the tutorial as well as an overview of information from the textbooks.
PROBLEM 6: And now the moral(ity) of the story
Source: Berk and Shaffer & Kipp
Morality
Morality: set of principles that help distinguish right from wrong, act on this distinction, feel
pride in virtuous conduct and guilt when violates one standards.
Moral Affect- Emotional component:
Powerful feelings cause us to empathize with another’s distress or to feel guilty when we are
the cause of that distress.
Moral Reasoning- Cognitive component: Children’s developing social understanding
enables them to make increasingly profound judgments about actions they believe to be right
or wrong.
Moral Behaviour- Behavioural component: Experiencing morally relevant thoughts and
feelings increases the likelihood that people will act in accord with them.
Dimensions of Moral Maturity: idealistic, dependable-loyal, fair, caring
- Intrapersonal dimension: regulates persons activities when not engaged in social
interaction
- Interpersonal dimension: regulates social interactions and arbitrates conflict
Morality as the Adoption of Societal Norms
PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY AND THE ROLE OF GUILT
Sigmund Freud
- Morality emerges between ages 3-6 (Oedipus and Electra conflicts
- Young children desire the parent of other sex but abandon this as they fear
punishment and loss of parental love
- Children form a superego/ conscience by identifying with the same sex parent who’s
moral standards they adopt
- Moral development completed: 5-6 years
Criticism:
- School-age children experience guilt when they intentionally engage in acts that harm
others
- Children who’s parents frequently use threats, commands or physical force tend to
violate standards and feel little guilt
Inductive Discipline: adult helps the child notice others feelings by pointing out the effects
of the child’s misbehaviour on others
- Effective as early as age 2
- The more adolescents mothers used induction= stronger their moral identity
(endorsement of moral values eg. Fairness, kindness)
- Gives children info about how to behave for future
- Encourages empathy and sympathetic concern
, - Changes behaviour and encourages them to adopt moral standards
- Script for negative emotions (harm, indictive message, empathy, amends)
- With fearless, impulsive children- gentle discipline has little impact.
o Parents need to secure attachment by combining firm correction of
misbehaviour with induction
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
Importance of Modelling:
- Operant conditioning: reinforcement for good behaviour with approval, affection and
rewards
o Not enough for children to acquire moral responses
- Requires spontaneous behaviour followed by encouragement/ reinforcement
- Characteristics of the model that affect children’s willingness to imitate:
o Warmth and responsiveness
o Competence and power
o Consistency between assertions and behaviour
Effects of Punishment
- Angrily yelling, slapping, spanking are ineffective
- Frequent punishment = promotes immediate compliance but not lasting changes in
behaviour
o Leads to child with aggression, anger, resentment, emotional and behaviour
problems
Alternatives to Harsh Punishment
- Time out: involves removing children from immediate setting until they are ready to
act appropriately
o Few minutes in time can be enough to change behaviour and give parents time
to cool off
- Withdrawal of privileges
- Increase effectiveness of punishment
1. Consistency
2. A warm parent-child relationship: children want to regain parental warmth
and approval as quickly as possible
3. Explanations: providing reasons for punishment helps child understand for
future behaviour
Positive Relationships, Positive Parenting
- Building mutually respectful bond with child is most effective form of discipline
- Firmer conscience development: expressing empathy after transgressions, behaving
responsibly, considering others welfare
Morality as Social Understanding
PIAGET’S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
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