Analysis of Moral Development in Young Children Essay

This paper is written to examine various influences on the moral development of young children. Specifically, the paper will speak to the definition of moral development, the views held by educators Piaget and Kohlberg on this area of development in young children and the application of moral development theories by Early Childhood Educators. Theories posited by Sigmund Freud with regards to the psychological development of children in the early childhood arena will be discussed as well. Suggestions for parents on supporting the moral development of their children will also be addressed. Moral Development is defined as â€Å"changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding standards of right and wrong† (Santrock, 2010). Moral development†¦show more content†¦His personality is affected by the rules that he observes being followed in society and the superego is formed as a sort of â€Å"Jiminy Cricket† or conscience to help him determine what is right and wrong based on these observations. Third is the ego. The ego is the mediator. In the ego is hopefully found a balance of what one wants to do with what one ought to do. Without full development of all three facets of personality as theorized by Sigmund Freud, appropriate and moderate behavior cannot be achieved. The ego is different from the other two facets in that it is a subconscious and conscious operator, as well as a preconscious operator. This means that the ego is always in place, whether or not the person on whom the ego is acting is aware (Goldwater, 2010). As stages in psychological development have been defined by Freud, stages in moral development have been outlined by early educators Jean Piaget and Kohlberg, who put forth differing views on the moral development of children. Piaget theorized that children process morals in stages, first one then the next, with a transition in between. The first stage (from ages 4 to about 7) is referred to as â€Å"heteronymous morality†, where children think of rules as constants, that is to say, rules are part of the world’s makeup with no input or possibility of change by people. As children progress from seven to ten years of age, they move from one stage to the next, maintaining some of the traits of theShow MoreRelatedTV To Blame For Rising Violence Essay examples932 Words   |  4 Pagespolice chief an article taken from the Times on 28th June 2002. The article describes how the content of what young people are watching of television is responsible for rises in criminal behaviours amongst young people. One assumption is that young people are susceptible to the influence of television. In the article Matthew Baggott, the deputy chief constable states of young people, `They are very vulnerable to the influences of the media. nbsp;This influence is bet shown in the famousRead MoreErickson s Theory Of Moral Development1537 Words   |  7 PagesMultiple Choice Directions: Read each question thoroughly and circle the correct answer that best answers the question. 1. Which stage of Erickson’s Theory of Psychosocial development describes when adolescents are figuring out who they are? During this stage adolescents struggle with questions such as what is and what isn’t are important to, what are their values, and who will they become when they grow up? a. Initiative vs Guilt b. Trust vs Misrust c. Integrity vs Despair This is a knowledgeRead MoreAnalysis And Application Of Early Childhood Developmental Psychology878 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis and Application Concepts and theories are applied in early childhood developmental psychology to explain why our legal system is justified in ruling that young children are not responsible for criminal actions. Biological, cognitive, emotional and moral development plays an integral part in the early development of a child’s brain maturity. Biological Argument(s) A child’s brain is very delicate during the early developmental years, especially between ages 2 and 6. Although the brain isRead MoreUnderstanding Childhood Development Is Essential1236 Words   |  5 Pages Understanding childhood development is essential because it allows us to fully recognize the cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and educational growth that a child goes through from birth to adulthood. Throughout history, many theorists and researchers have developed and proposed theories that are used today as an attempt to describe each aspect of growth and development. A stage-to-stage approach focuses on the different age groups and what is often to be expected through each phase. Read MoreMoral And Social Developments Of Children1337 Words   |  6 PagesThe moral and social developments of children in their first years of life are critical. Children go through many stages that influence their lives such as family, school, friends and technologic or the m edia. During infancy, children learn from the people around them to recognize the good and bad in this way begin to form their idea of morality. Researchers like as Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg carefully studied moral reasoning of children and girls. Both agree that moral development progressesRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Jean Piaget And John Dewey1387 Words   |  6 Pagesdetermine moral righteousness. Using his experience as a war veteran, he created mock simulations where one needed to choose between two distinct options. Kohlberg used these simulations, known as moral dilemmas, to observe the differences in answers he received. Subsequently, he was able to arrange the responses into various phases to determine stages of morality. Lawrence Kohlberg’s studies on the stages of moral development have opened doors to the classifying of moralities. A moral dilemma involvesRead MoreKohlberg s Theory Of Moral Development And Moral Maturity Essay1305 Words   |  6 Pagesstages of moral development and participated actively in the development of the fields of moral psychology and moral education. Kohlberg was especially inspired by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who created the theory of cognitive development. Mark Baldwin, John Dewey, and George Herbert Mead also influenced his thinking (Barger, 2000; Encyclopedia of Education, 2002). In this paper, I will analyze in-depth Kohlberg’s theory and discuss an article that uses Kohlberg’s theory to foster moral courageRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie I Am Sam 1515 Words   |  7 Pages I Am Sam: A Psychological Film Analysis Patrick M. Mead Fort Mill High School I Am Sam: A Psychological Film Analysis The difficulties faced today in society by those with serious intellectual disabilities are very large hurdles faced by many in today s world. These disabilities along with the pressure to remain independent question how we deal with those intellectually challenged individuals. The film, I Am Sam details the struggle of Sam Dawson- a man living with mild intellectualRead MoreFreuds Contributions To The Field of Psychology Essay example1161 Words   |  5 Pagesresided within his interpretation of dreams through a method he called dream analysis. Each aspect of his studies and theories attempt to identify the reason behind human behavior. Freud graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of Vienna, Austria. Soon after, he mapped the geography of the human psyche, and began working with severely disturbed patients. Through extremely intense self-analysis, Freud concurred that repressed desires were the source of emotional disturbancesRead MorePublic Incidents As A Moral Panic1227 Words   |  5 PagesSince the early-2010s, debate around the sexualisation of children has instigated much social alarm. A number of media articles (Cameron 2010; Critchley 2009; Doherty 2011; Kermond 2012, Jones Cuneo 2009; Snow 2013; Tuohy 2012) have depicted the sexualisation of children as a prevailing social matter which accentuate concepts represented in moral panic discourse. In everyday practices of reporting public and social events, moral panic frequently becomes elicited by society’s mass mediated exaggeration