As individuals grow, they learn how to examine the difference between what is right and what is wrong. As a result, the issue of what is unacceptable or acceptable also comes in which is what morality entails. Morality entails the accepted codes of conduct, cultural values as well as social standards that define what is right culturally, and what is wrong.
In its descriptive form, morality involves what is considered right or wrong by people. In its normative form, what people think is right or wrong is not significant but rather, an action is outright right or wrong- moral or immoral, a line has been drawn. At some level, the definition of ethics could relate to that of morality. This can be achieved when the two meanings are integrated.
Kohlberg expanded on the work of Piaget who claimed that logic and morals develop through constructive stages by determining that the process of moral development was primarily concerned with moral justice which continued throughout the person’s lifetime. He formulated three developmental stages, that moral reasoning follows where each satisfactorily responds to moral dilemmas than its predecessor. These are the pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional, which can be branched to two other stages each.
Pre-conventional morality encompasses obedience and punishment orientation and individualism and exchange. It is common in children through some adults exhibit the same reasoning. If an act is punished more severely, then it is perceived to be that bad and vice versa. Individuals, therefore, seek to avoid punishment and adhere to the power imposed on them. The second part of preconvention-individualism and exchange involves individuals doing what is right with their personals best interests at heart. In this perspective, there is limited interest in the wishes of others as long as the person’s wants/endeavors are met. How useful people are is what is significant.
Conventional morality encompasses interpersonal conformity and law and order. It is a way of reasoning exemplified by adolescents and adults who seek to judge the morality of actions by the views and mores of society. Using interpersonal conformity the consequences of an action could be a pointer to the morality involved. Some of these consequences include gratitude, respect as well as having others like you. In addition, adherence to rules is dependent on the involved social roles.
Law and order stage involves individuals thinking in the realm of the role laws play in society and act according to these laws and rules to uphold them for the sake of a functioning society. Violation of law in this case is morally wrong and many people remain here where morality is defined by an outside force. The third stage, post-conventional encompasses prior rights and social contract, and universal ethical principles. Here people are more concerned with values that make a good society and are less interested in maintaining a society just for its being a society (Gilligan & Attanucci, 1988, 225). It is considered abstract moral reasoning where individuals view rules as useful but changeable such that they can disobey rules that do not go with their principles. This stage at times seems to merge with the pre-conventional because of its self-centeredness.
The prior rights and social contract regards laws as social contracts and not rigid decrees which can be bent when necessary to meet the greatest good for a big number of people. Universal ethical principles are defined as the tools which are used to ensure that the reasoning process is morally conducted based on abstract reasoning.
She defines stage one of a women’s orientation being inclined towards individual survival, the selfish stage. From level one to two she evolves from being selfish to being responsible.The validity of laws holds depending on how just they are. Carol Gilligan reconstructs these stages after finding that girls develop moral orientations differently from boys. She determined that the male approach to morality takes it that individuals have certain basic rights that have to be respected (Gilligan & Attanucci, 1988, 224). The female approach suggests that individuals have a responsibility in ensuring a justice orientation about the males. On the other hand, a responsibility orientation should be ensured for the females.
The second stage is a belief in conventional morality; self-sacrifice. Of great concern in stage two is self-sacrifice which is equated to goodness and a woman here adopts values and membership related to society. From levels 2 to 3, Gilligan describes the women’s transition to range from goodness to truth.
The third level is post-conventional which is better defined as principled morality. Women here learn that it is wrong to violate their interests as much as it is wrong to violate the interests of others. Each of these levels is more complex than the predecessor (Gilligan & Attanucci, 1988, 227). The evaluation done by Gillian acts as a testimony that from a moral perspective, individuals have a human heart while relating with others. The theory stipulates that girls develop their morality differently. However, the theory is criticized for being stereotypic by portraying women to be nurturing while men are portrayed as being logical.
However, the overall response to judging an action as being moral or immoral according to Gilligan is not well defined and often leaves one with the answer it depends on the situation.
Reference
Gilligan, C., & Attanucci, J. (1988). Two moral orientations: Gender differences and similarities. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 34(3): pp.23237 Morality.