Morality 

1) Moral affect- feeling associated with morality (emotions such as empathy, guilt, shame)

2) Moral reasoning- thought associated with morality, how we think about moral issues 

1) Guilt- feeling responsible for a wrongdoing and wanting to make amends

2) Shame- feeling like you haven't lived up to the standards of another person/ social group 

* Shame and guilt first emerge around the end of infancy, once children understand personal responsibility 

1) Obeying a rule, law or authority figure

2) Taking some action that conflicts with rules but which serves a human need

1) Preconventional (early, middle childhood)

2) Conventional (late middle childhood, adolescence)

3) Postconventional (late adolescence, adulthood)

* 2 stages within each broad level for total of: 6 stages 

Stage 1 

* Heteronomous morality

* Rightness or wrongness of action determined by outcome of action 

* Defer to authority figures to avoid punishment 

* Little conception of rules 

Stage 2 

* Instrumental morality 

* Rightness or wrongness of action determined by what it gains 

* Exchange system morality 

* Confroms to rules to gain rewards, satisfy personal needs

Stage 3

* "Good child" morality 

* Rightness or wrongness of action determined by whether action pleases, helps, or is approved of by others

* Social approval important 

* Living up to expectations 

Stage 4

* "Law and order" morality 

* Rightness or wrongness of action determined by whether action conforms to rules, law 

Stage 5

* "Social contract" morality 

* Rightness or wrongness of action determined by social contract which acts for welfare of group, what maximizes social welfare 

* Laws established by mutal agreement 

* Laws/contracts can change 

* Flexibility in moral judgments 

* laws arrived at by democratic means 

Stage 6 

* "Universal ethical principles" morality 

* Rightness or wrongness of action determined by general ethical principles that transcend law 

* General principles, not individual situations or community practices, determine right or wrong 

Stage 1: "Heinz must not steal because he will be put in jail"

Stage 2: "Heinz should steal drug because someday he might have cancer and would want somone to steal it for him"

Stage 3: "Heinz is only doing something that is natural for a good husband to do. He should do it out of love for his wife"

Stage 4: "It's natural for Heinz to want to save his wife, but it's still always wrong to steal. You have to follow the rules"

Stage 5: "Before you say stealing is wrong, you have to consider the whole situation. Laws are clear about breaking into a store. But it would be reasonable for anyone in that situation to steal the drug"

Stage 6: "When we must choose between disobeying a law and saving a human life, the higher principle of perserving life makes it morally right to steal the drug"

1) Categorical identification (4-7 years)

* physical characteristics 

* possessions 

* actions can perform 

* a "physicalistic" conception of self based mainly on ability to perform various actions