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Abstract
This study examines the moral judgment levels (as measured by Kohlberg’s 6-stage moral judgment interview) for two Kenyan samples. The first sample includes a culturally and racially group of 35 young men and 17 women studying at the University of Nairobi, while the second sample consists of 44 males and 14 females living in seven communities in the Central and Western Provinces of Kenya who were interviewed by a cadre of trained University students on their school vacation. The moral judgment interview included four hypothetical moral dilemmas and a standard set of probing questions. Three of the dilemmas were standard Kohlberg stories especially adapted for the Kenyan setting, while the fourth dilemma was constructed in Kenya. Interviews were taped and transcribed and scored using the “global method.” The findings reveal different distributions and highest scores for the two samples, with the University sample generally higher. The discussion suggests why different modes of moral decision-making are appropriate for the tribal versus national frames of reference. In terms of Kohlberg’s stage system of moral judgment, stage 3 is the type of thinking most suitable for a face-to-face community, while stage 4 is more suitable for the national stage.
... The aspect of Kohlberg's theory that has been most difficult for many social scientists to accept is the claim that the development of moral reasoning about the social environment follows a universal invariant sequence, toward the same universal ethical principles, in all cultural settings (cf. Bloom, 1977;Buck-Morss, 1975;Edwards, 1975Edwards, , 1982Guidon, 1978; Kohlberg (1981) Stage ...
... This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Edwards (1974Edwards ( , 1975 Edwards (1978) Harkness et al. Maqsud (1976Maqsud ( , 1977aMaqsud ( , 1977bMaqsud ( , 1979 This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. ...
... Table 4 reports the presence or absence of Stage 1 or 1/2 in those studies that included children aged 10 or younger and the presence or absence of Stage 4/5 or 5 in those samples that included subjects aged 18 or older. The studies are further stratified according to a variant of Robert Redfield's fold-urban continuum (1955,1956), an approach similar to one previously applied to Kohlberg's work by Carolyn Edwards (1975). The continuum, as I have modified it, includes: 1. complex urban societies that are also Western European; 2. complex urban societies that are non-European but Westernized to some degree; 3. tribal or village folk societies of Western European origin; and 4. tribal or village folk societies that are non-Western. ...
Over the past 15 years, children and adults around the world have been asked if Heinz should steal a drug to save his dying wife, if Njoroge should disobey the rules to help a lost child, or some other similar moral dilemma. These cross-cultural studies have been undertaken to test Lawrence Kohlberg's theory, which posits a universal model of moral development. This review identifies the major empirical assumptions underlying Kohlberg's claim for cross-cultural universality, including culturally diverse samplings, universal moral questions, invariant stage sequence, full range of stages, and general applicability of the stages. It then reviews the cross-cultural research literature, much of which has not been previously published, and evaluates the support for each assumption. In addition to providing striking support for the underlying assumptions, the 45 studies examined here also identify some major caveats regarding the range and general applicability of the stages across cultures. In particular, biases in favor of complex urban societies and middle-class populations are identified. Based on these findings, the conclusion presents an alternative to Kohlberg's perspective on the relation between culture and moral development.
... Modern peoples yet distribute on the stages three, four and five with four as the modal stage. This confirms the fact that modern peoples develop five to ten years more than premodern ones (Kohlberg et al., 1978;1980;Edwards, 1975;Oesterdiekhoff, 2009a: 404-409;2013a: 495-522;2011: 162-175). ...
... Dans cette première option qui accepte l'idée d'une différence de niveau moral entre sociétés occidentales et sociétés traditionnelles, on trouve des explications de type fonctionnaliste qui donnent une justification plus positive de cette différence (Bril et Le Halle, 1988). C'est par exemple le cas d 'Edwards (1975'Edwards ( , 1978'Edwards ( , 1982. Pour cet auteur, chaque société se dote de la morale dont elle a besoin. ...
Quels sont les mécanismes d'acquisition de la morale ? A partir de quel âge l'enfant prend-t-il en compte les intentions quand il juge la conduite de quelqu'un ? Les femmes ont-elles une orientation morale spécifique ? La morale varie-t-elle selon la classe sociale, la culture ? Comment les gens font-ils pour transgresser, en toute tranquillité d'esprit, des principes moraux, dont ils admettent par ailleurs la légitimité ? Voilà quelques-unes des questions auxquelles la psychologie morale donne des éléments de réponses. L'objectif de ce livre est de présenter ce domaine d'étude très développé dans les pays anglo-saxons, mais qui est peu connu en France. A cette occasion, plusieurs thèmes sont abordés : l'évolution de la morale de l'enfance à l'âge adulte ; les différents types de pratiques éducatives ; le rôle des facteurs intellectuels, sociaux et culturels dans le développement de la morale ; les rapports entre morale et action. Nous avons cherché à faire une analyse critique de ce domaine, en mettant en évidence le fait que la morale peut être envisagée en dehors de la dichotomie classique entre universalisme (une seule morale partout) et relativisme (chaque culture a une morale spécifique et incommensurable), qu'une troisième voie, pluraliste et psychosociale, est possible. Sans préjuger des questionnements philosophiques, inévitables et souhaitables dans un tel domaine, notre objectif est finalement de présenter une morale réaliste, c'est-à-dire qui tienne compte des possibilités, des principes de vie des individus, mais aussi des contraintes, des opportunités liées aux contextes sociaux et culturels. Pour citer : Tostain, M. (1999). Psychologie, morale et culture. L'évolution de la morale de l'enfance à l'âge adulte. Grenoble : Presses Universitaires de Grenoble.
... What is fundamentally wrong with the concept of society is that it reifies and therefore crystallizes social phenomena whose real significance lies not in their solidity but precisely in their fluidity and malleability (Wallerstein, 1986). The development of moral judgement is related to a structural feature of the social environment, namely, the complexity of institutional arrangements (Edwards, 1975). Turning the pursuit of shared value opportunities into a regular activity requires defining a clear social purpose, publicizing it internally and externally, and embedding it in core processes such as strategic planning and budgeting (Pfitzer, Bockstette, & Stamp, 2013). ...
Businesses have the potential to enhance the livelihoods of societies and individuals. Business activities do not occur in isolation but instead are an integral part of social activities. There may be developmental activities that cause the loss of livelihood due to involvement in mass production; therefore, responsibility is not enforced in business operations, and local communities must be viewed as integral parts of business activities. Development activities may not be sufficient to support the business activities; only an increase in income will decrease poverty. Therefore, low incomes must be addressed by expanding the local communities' capabilities. Hence, community initiative investment is a strategy for development‐led business that is demonstrated by the two case studies of Dabur and Tech Mahindra. Total interpretive structural modeling is developed, reverse causality is discussed, and the study is validated by a simple linear regression analysis. Further implications and the future scope of this research are discussed.
This study investigated the moral development levels of tertiary institutions lecturers and their students in South-West of Nigeria. 12 Tertiary institutions, from which 10 lecturers and 30 students per school, giving a total sample of 240 subjects, were selected through stratified random sampling technique, and participated in this study. Kohlberg’s (1977) Heinz’s wife dilemma and simbo’s (1989) civil responsibility episode served as validated research instruments. T-test was used in comparing the mean score of responses by lecturers and students on a 6-point Likert scale which corresponded to the six stages in the Kholbergian model.It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences in the moral development levels of lectures and their students and between female and male students who participated in this study. Results of the data collected and analyzed showed that there is no significant difference between lecturers and their students (t = 0.67, P>.05) in their level of moral development.Similarly, the null hypothesis that predicted similarity in the moral development level of male and female study subjects was confirmed (t=0.49;P>0.05).The main counseling implication is that the time for training of more professional counselors to carter for the ever-increasing population in Nigeria is now. Related to this is that functional counseling centers be establish in all schools in Nigeria.The study also recommended, among others, that moral education curriculum be design for our schools and made a core subject, especially at primary and secondary school levels of our educational system in Nigeria.
This study investigated the moral development levels of tertiary institutions lecturers and their students in South-West of Nigeria. 12 Tertiary institutions, from which 10 lecturers and 30 students per school, giving a total sample of 240 subjects, were selected through stratified random sampling technique, and participated in this study. Kohlberg’s (1977) Heinz’s wife dilemma and simbo’s (1989) civil responsibility episode served as validated research instruments. T-test was used in comparing the mean score of responses by lecturers and students on a 6-point Likert scale which corresponded to the six stages in the Kholbergian model.It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences in the moral development levels of lectures and their students and between female and male students who participated in this study. Results of the data collected and analyzed showed that there is no significant difference between lecturers and their students (t = 0.67, P>.05) in their level of moral development. Similarly, the null hypothesis that predicted similarity in the moral development level of male and female study subjects was confirmed (t=0.49; P>0.05). The main counseling implication is that the time for training of more professional counselors to carter for the ever increasing population in Nigeria is now. Related to this is that functional counseling centers be establish in all schools in Nigeria.The study also recommended, among others, that moral education curriculum be design for our schools and made a core subject, especially at primary and secondary school levels of our educational system in Nigeria.
I feel very much humbled yet exalted by the noble call embraced by revolution and evolution of ideas that had shaped this exothermic piece of article 'Philosophy in curriculum development and design. This is a culmination of experiences one encountered in education fraternity of socio-pedagogical system. It stretches your mind to its limit in an endless manner and fashion of its kind. Knowledge is information and
Deirdre McCloskey (2006, 2010, 2016) are powerful defenses of the material and ethical possibilities of capitalism. Despite her powerful defense of capitalism, she is sparse on the mechanisms through which commerce teaches individuals virtues; in particular, she is silent on how the market teaches us bourgeois virtues. Here, we argue that market interactions have the ability to make us more virtuous through at least two mechanisms. First, markets allow us to reward market participants with the ethical qualities we appreciate and to punish those who behave viciously. Second, every market transaction serves as an opportunity to learn about our trading partner’s level of virtuousness and to discover those market participants who have the moral qualities that we admire. Through these mechanisms, the market can train individuals to become authentically virtuous in the long run.
Moral functioning is a defining feature of human personhood and human social life. Moral Psychology provides an integrative and evaluative overview of the theoretical and empirical traditions that have attempted to make sense of moral cognition, prosocial behaviour, and the development of virtuous character. This is the first book to integrate a comprehensive review of the psychological literatures with allied traditions in ethics. Moral rationality and decision making; the development of the sense of fairness and justice, and of prosocial dispositions; as well as the notion of moral self and moral identity and their relation to issues of character and virtue are fully discussed in the rich contexts provided by psychological and philosophical paradigms. Lapsley emphasizes parenting and educational strategies for influencing moral behaviour, reasoning, and character development, and charts a line of research for the ?post-Kohlbergian era? in moral psychology. This book will be an invaluable text for advanced courses in moral psychology, as taught in departments of psychology, education, and philosophy. It will also prove to be a standard reference work for researchers and ethicists alike.
N. Eisenberg's (1982) prosocial moral reasoning interview, adapted to the setting, was administered to members of the small-scale, traditional, collectivistically oriented Maisin society of New Guinea. The sample consisted of 69 elementary school children (mean age range 8–13 yrs), 8 adolescents (aged 14–20 yrs), and 24 adults (aged 24–60 yrs). Results indicate that no new reasoning categories were used by the Ss. Children and adults used physical-needs-oriented reasoning most frequently. Adults used significantly more psychological-needs-oriented reasoning than did younger Ss. It is suggested that Maisin prosocial reasoning develops toward empathic concern for others but not toward concern with one's own internal states as motivators of behavior or toward generalized notions of society. Developmental patterns suggest that initial exposure to Western schooling is associated with an increase in hedonistic reasoning and a decrease in needs-oriented reasoning, although this trend appears to reverse after Grade 3. The internal organization of Maisin prosocial reasoning as well as the specific reasoning categories used by the Maisin are congruent with the nature of their society. Results of the study support the idea that moral reasoning patterns develop as adaptive responses to actual circumstances of social living. (28 ref)
Opening Paragraph
The first part of this paper seeks to develop an approach to traditional African thought already sketched in several previous contributions to this journal. My approach to this topic is strongly influenced by the feeling that social anthropologists have often failed to understand traditional religious thought for two main reasons. First, many of them have been unfamiliar with the theoretical thinking of their own culture. This has deprived them of a vital key to understanding. For certain aspects of such thinking are the counterparts of those very features of traditional thought which they have tended to find most puzzling. Secondly, even those familiar with theoretical thinking in their own culture have failed to recognise its African equivalents, simply because they have been bunded by a difference of idiom. Like Consul Hutchinson wandering among the Bubis of Fernando Po, they have taken a language very remote from their own to be no language at all.
At the Annual Meeting in May 1974, the American Academy awarded its first Social Science Prize to Clifford Geertz for his significant contributions to social anthropology. Mr. Geertz has taught at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Chicago; in 1970 he became the first Professor of the Social Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Mr. Geertz' research has centered on the changing religious attitudes and habits of life of the Islamic peoples of Morocco and Indonesia; he is the author of Peddlers and Princes: Social Changes and Economic Modernization in Two Indonesian Towns (1963), The Social History of an Indonesian Town (1965), Islam Observed: Religious Developments in Morocco and Indonesia (1968), and a recent collection of essays, The Interpretation of Cultures (1973). In nominating Mr. Geertz for the award, the Academy's Social Science Prize Committee observed, "each of these volumes is an important contribution in its own right; together they form an unrivaled corpus in modern social anthropology and social sciences." Following the presentation ceremony, Mr. Geertz delivered the following communication before Academy Fellows and their guests.
Opening Paragraph
In Part I of this paper, I pushed as far as it would go the thesis that important continuities link the religious thinking of traditional Africa and the theoretical thinking of the modern West. I showed how this view helps us to make sense of many otherwise puzzling features of traditional religious thinking. I also showed how it helps us to avoid certain rather troublesome red herrings which lie across the path towards understanding the crucial differences between the traditional and the scientific outlook.