Children often make moral decisions based on whether or not they will be punished or rewarded for their actions. Adolescents, however, approach moral decision making in ways that more closely reflect the complex moral decision-making of adults. Moral development for adolescents can be understood as a series of stages that young people move through during the teen years. These stages help young people to develop a personal moral code that will enable them to navigate moral decisions as adults.
Theories
Most theories of the moral development of adolescents have their roots in the work of 20th century psychologists Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. Piaget theorized that, during adolescence, young people come to understand that people create rules and laws and that the motives for actions should be considered, as well as the results. Kohlberg expanded on Piaget’s ideas, adding that moral development occurs in a series of six stages that begin in childhood and culminate in adulthood.
Features
According to Piaget, moral development during adolescence is characterized by the ability to consider the thoughts and desires of other people. John W. Santrock, in “Life-Span Development,” explains that Piaget also saw young adults as becoming “aware that punishment does not always follow a wrongdoing … [and] that rules are subject to change.” According to Kohlberg, moral development during adolescence is characterized by the adoption of the moral standards and judgments of trustworthy authority figures. Kohlberg also believed that young people learn during adolescence to make moral decisions based on laws, duty and fairness.
Factors
Piaget and Kohlberg both understood moral development during childhood as being shaped by children’s expectations of external punishments and rewards. Once children move into adolescence, though, Piaget theorized that young people follow internal standards of behavior as opposed to external ones. Santrock explains that this more sophisticated moral decision-making results from the influence of parents, as well as the influence of peer relationships. Kohlberg agreed that, by adolescence, young people have internalized the standards of others, whether those of parents, peers or societal laws.
Concerns
According to Piaget, a young adult is primarily concerned, when making a moral decision, with the opinions and plans of friends. In fact, Piaget believed that children move into the more advanced morality of adolescence by navigating issues of fairness in their relationships with their peers. Kohlberg also sees close relationships as influencing young adults’ development of moral reasoning. According to Kohlberg, adolescents are mostly concerned with caring for their closest personal relationships, as well as with fulfilling their roles and responsibilities within their communities.
Alternatives
Other theories regarding the moral development of adolescents have explored the differences between moral thought and moral behavior, as well as the influence of family processes, gender and culture on moral development. Psychologist Carol Gilligan, for example, has argued that Kohlberg did not adequately understand the concerns that shape the moral choices of young women. According to Gilligan, young people, particularly young women, understand morality more in light of caring for other people and maintaining personal relationships than in regards to following laws and seeking justice.
References
- “Life-Span Development”; John W. Santrock; 2004
- “Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development”; James W. Fowler; 1995
