Analytical Essay on Kohlberg’s Five Stages of Moral Development

Introduction

Often times we hear adolescents say, “tao lang”, whenever they commit mistakes in their action or in their decision. As if they use the weaknesses of their human nature as an excuse to the wrong action or decision they made. They seem to remove the guilt in their wrong doing and bad decision by fronting the imperfection of our human nature. Removing the guilt in the wrong-doing and bad decision is evading responsibility in one’s judgement and action. Without acknowledging the real person on the act is tantamount to say that one has no control over his or her thoughts and actions and thus always prone to commit erroneous actions and decisions.

Globokar (2018) would like to emphasize that the

The goal of the moral development is independent and responsible person who recognizes the other as a person with the same rights and duties, who is capable of reasonable decisions, and able to choose the good for himself, for society, and entire natural environment. (pp. 553-554)

Such is also incorporated in the goals of adolescent education. In educating adolescents, we want their education to be holistic without the semblance of any impartiality and superficiality. We want to bring integral formation in the whole person touching the different dimensions of his or her personhood.

Whenever a person acts or makes judgement, it is the whole person endowed with intellect and will who acts and decides. In determining the moral value of his or her action or judgement, it is integral person who analyzes, wills, and determines. In the natural order of things, our emotions have to be governed and enlightened by our intellect so as to make our every action and decision humane and morale.

So, in order for an adolescent to ascend to moral judgment, he or she should be educated to know oneself and everything about his nature as a human being. He or she should also be brought to the realization of the reality of his or her existence with the other being including his or her environment. And at the end of it, he or she should make moral decision and judgment that conforms to sound moral principles imbedded in the very nature of our human existence which is the natural law. This flow can be framed using the Kohlberg’s five stages of moral development.

Level 1: Pre-conventional Morality

The earliest stage of moral development, obedience, and punishment are especially common in young children, but adults are also capable of expressing this type of reasoning. At this stage, Kohlberg says, children see rules as fixed and absolute. Obeying the rules is important because it is a means to avoid punishment.

At the individualism and exchange stage of moral development, children account for individual points of view and judge actions based on how they serve individual needs. In the Heinz dilemma, children argued that the best course of action was the choice that best-served Heinz’s needs. Reciprocity is possible at this point in moral development, but only if it serves one’s own interests.

Level 2: Conventional Morality

Often referred to as the ‘good boy-good girl’ orientation, the stage of the interpersonal relationship of moral development is focused on living up to social expectations and roles. There is an emphasis on conformity, being ‘nice,’ and consideration of how choices influence relationships.

This stage is focused on maintaining social order. At this stage of moral development, people begin to consider society as a whole when making judgments. The focus is on maintaining law and order by following the rules, doing one’s duty and respecting authority.

Level 3: Post-conventional Morality

The ideas of a social contract and individual rights cause people in the next stage to begin to account for the differing values, opinions, and beliefs of other people. Rules of law are important for maintaining a society, but members of the society should agree upon these standards.

Kohlberg’s final level of moral reasoning is based on universal ethical principles and abstract reasoning. At this stage, people follow these internalized principles of justice, even if they conflict with laws and rules. (Cherry, K., 2019, p. 1)

Objectives of the workshop

In order to make this workshop fruitful for the participants ages 16 to 18, below are the four main objectives of this activity that will help direct the outcome of this course.

1. Help the adolescents discover their self-identity and to be responsible to self-improvement.

Knowing oneself is the focal point of every action and decision of man. It is the “force” that helps a person to triumph over trials and succeed against all odds as Jedi Master Skywalker put it. It entails going deeper into the very nature of oneself. It is discovering the real person in oneself. It goes further as to being one with nature, the root of our existence as human beings.

It is also our experiences as well as our affinities that make up our self-identity for we cannot detach our self from the externals. The outside world is the external realities of what’s going inside us which we have to be in touched with so as to make our self whole.

2. Attune the emotional intelligence of the adolescents to the ways of emotional maturity.

As the adolescents gain the knowledge of their selves and feel it’s existence, they somehow gaining self mastery and become closer to their feelings and emotions which helps them to gain control and power in every human circumstance.

Having possession of control and power over one’s feelings and emotions through intellection, leads one to become mature person emotionally.

3. Guide the adolescents to gain social sensitivity or empathy

Knowing one’s identity and gaining self-mastery would put one in a better position to empathize with others which improve one’s social sensitivity. To be one with others is not to lose oneself in the process rather to perfect oneself in a relationship to become fully human and humane.

4. Improve the moral sensitivity of the adolescents to formulate sound moral decision

Sound moral decision comes as the adolescent continues to discover and perfect him or herself not as an island but in a relationship with other persons including the natural environment he or she is living with.

Brief description of the workshop

This workshop is intended for the senior high school students, ages 16 to 18. At this age bracket, the adolescents have gained learning experiences, started to develop certain life principles, and making moral decisions where the range could be determined by their experiences and acquired knowledge.

It introduces the participants to the discovery of their identity and personhood. It makes use of introspection and reflection to journey inward until they find the core of their being. The success of this activity may depend on the openness and degree of involvement of the participants. It might be a wonderful experience for some who are open and eager to know the truth in him or herself. But for those who are afraid, anxious, and withdrawn it might be a painful experience and if not process with them would lead to self hate and anonymity.

Once the participants are exposed to the reality of their being, they will also be exposed to the reality of the world outside themselves. They will be given situations where their emotional maturity would be tested in order to bring them to the realization of the good qualities and human qualities that need to be improved and perfected.

It also gives them a venue to utilize their intellect to reflect, analyze, and make decisions through reasoning by deciding on sample moral dilemmas and social issues.

They are going to do self-assessment and reflection, pair-sharing, group case study and to make a project of life. This project of life is a proximal plan that would help them become fully aware of their maturity level in terms of the emotional-socio aspect of their personality. It will also mark safeguards of their moral decisions and judgements in order to ensure the continuity of their journey towards moral development.