Moral Dilemmas in Children

Paper Summary:

The paper describes the scenario where a 5-year-old boy witnessed his father out for dinner with a woman who was not his mother and is thus confronted with the moral dilemma of whether or not to tell, in regards to both his mother and father. The paper considers the issue from Piaget's perspective who theorizes that the moral dilemma is essentially a stage above the child's development; he is not entirely equipped with the necessary skills to understand the moral implications of the situation. The paper then looks at Kohlberg's ideas and how he believes that the child's self interest and lack of full logic cannot enable him to make an entirely self-actualized decision. The paper therefore shows how from the perspectives of both Piaget and Kohlberg, the child is not fit to deal with the situation.

Outline:
An Introductory Moral Dilemma
Piaget's Perspective
The Kohlberg Stage
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In the case of moral dilemmas, children experience the situation in a rather different fashion than that of adults. This is largely due to the fact that children are in the process of growing and forming their perceptions of the world, and thus their stage of development is to be taken into account when assessing their reaction. In the instance of a moral dilemma, this development is to be of particular note, as some children may not have developed the cognitive abilities necessary to property deal with a particular situation, thereby making the unprepared for both the consequences, and implications, of their decision."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crain, W.C. "Chapter Seven: Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development." Theories of Development. Prentice Hall: 1985. Retrieved on 29 January 2009, from: http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm
• Shelly, Robert K.; Shelly, Ann Converse. "" Conference Papers -- American Sociological Association, 2005 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia. Pp. 1-19.
• Van Wagner, Kendra. "Background and Key Concepts of Piaget's Theory." About.com: Psychology. Retrieved on 29 January 2009, from: http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm

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