Social and Moral Development

Many factors in a child’s life from birth to adulthood can impact how they grow not only cognitively, but socioemotionally. As many children are different, so are their ways in which they react in different non-normative life events. “Non-Normative

If this stage is successful the child have the virtue of purpose. The fourth stage is industry vs. inferiority which happens in elementary school from the age 6 until puberty. During this stage, the child’s teacher and peers become the source of self-esteem. Children in this stage feel like they need to fit in and gain approval of those around them. They feel confident and gain a sense of pride when they are praised for their accomplishments. If this stage is successful they will gain the virtue of competence. If they feel they can’t do what is asked of them, are rejected by their peers, or their parents/teachers treat them insensitively, they will learn inferiority. Stage five is ego-identity vs. role-confusions which occurs during adolescence. Teenagers being to wonder who they are. This leads to them going through phases and rebelling to search for where they fit in and belong. They explore themselves, others, and roles. If they are unable to establish who they are, they’ll experience role-confusion and suffer an identity crisis. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity, but failure means they feel they have no place in society. Stage six is intimacy vs. isolation, this

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 “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 the

In Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel Brave New World, John (referred to as “the savage”) is the voice of freedom in a society ruled by an inexorable pursuit of superficial happiness. In the dystopian setting, the world controllers maintain public satisfaction “but at a very high price—the sacrifice of freedom, individuality, truth, beauty, a sense of purpose, and the concept of God” (Neilson). John’s unorthodox beliefs about monogamy, God, drugs, and freedom clash with that of the overwhelming majority of people in the totalitarian London utopia. This barrier is rooted in John’s natural moral development as opposed to the artificial conditioning of the rest of society and it leads to John’s complete isolation from the people of London.

Stage 2 of the Preconventional level is based on mutual benefit. This is where their morals rely on what is and isn’t “fair” or “right.” As previously mentioned, stage 2 is a little more opened minded than stage 1. They see that there is not only one “right” way; they also realize that everything is relative. In other words, if someone were to steal money to feed their hungry children, the child would say that was “right.” Kohlberg tested this theory by presenting children with scenarios such as the one mentioned. In these scenarios, children often mentioned mentioned the consequences associated with the action; they also mentioned why it might be “right” or “fair.”

Innocence may be preserved in a child indefinitely. However, influences from both family and society impose standards of maturity on children which gradually strip the youthfulness away from a child. Additionally, children may isolate themselves or face ostracization, which leads to the degradation of a child’s purity as he begins creating his own unique worldview apart of his community.

At the age of 6 years old, a child would most likely experienced the school system which would include pre-school and kindergarten. There are many physical, cognitive and social changes that are happening in middle childhood development. This paper will examine what these changes affect the child’s ability to function in society. This analysis will focus on the normal course of development in middle childhood as it applies to the theorist Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages and then give examples of what may happen if the developments are not carried out.

“The development of children ages 12 through 18 years old should include expected physical and mental milestones. During adolescence, children develop the ability to: Understand abstract ideas. These include grasping higher math concepts, and developing moral philosophies, including rights and privileges; and Move toward a more mature sense of themselves and their

In the stage of 12 to 18 years old self-determination and autonomy plays a role in an individual’s life cycle. This is where development is found of what has been done with that person. At this point it has to do with the primarily upon what a person dose with their life. If this means an individual’s has to struggle to be able to discover and find out who they are when having to be deal with negotiating and struggling with social interaction this will bring in their sense of morality and right from wrong skills they have learned. From some

In the social interactions the child starts to feel pride when they accomplish something and use their abilities. A child will feel pride when a parent or teacher comment on something they are doing well on. And the children that don’t get none or little encouragement from their parents or teachers or other children feel as if they don’t have any abilities and the doubt themselves about being successful. Psychosocial stage 5 is Identity vs. Confusion. At this stage if a child is encouraged and knows that they are good at what they do then that when they will show more strong sense of themselves. They will have that feeling of independence and they will also have the feeling of having control. The children that don’t understand or really unsure of their beliefs and desires they will remain confused until they understand. Psychosocial stage 6 is Intimacy vs. Isolation. This begins in the early adulthood like when they start to know what relationships is and being in relationships. They start to develop feeling and their relationship is committed and secure. More you are with that person more and more the senses become stronger that is important in a relationship. The people that don’t develop feelings for someone and don’t develop senses we be very emotional isolation and they will feel loneliness and depression. Psychosocial stage 7 is Generatively vs. Stagnation. This is when they are in adulthood and they are planning to build their life and their family

For many years of human history, the developmental period of a child was truly misunderstood. The mind of a developing child was thought simply to be a miniature model of the fully developed engine of thinking. It is often hard to remember the earliest stages of the human development process. However, revered researchers like Jean Piaget, John Kohlberg, and Erik Erikson have made extensive efforts in observing the different stages of human development. In punctuating these stages, the consensus has demarcated the expanse of human growth into four major stages: Infancy (birth-2 years), Preschool (3-6 years), Middle Childhood (7-12 years), and Adolescence (12-18). The specific contributions made by the Psychologists above mentioned

In the contemporary world, there are several considerations regarding the impact of social influences on the development and growth of a child's temperament and morality.

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development were based on a moral philosopher by the name of Lawrence Kohlberg. His main interest was to observe children during growth to develop and conclude which stages they best fit into. After observing both adults and children, he concluded that, “Human beings progress consecutively from one stage to the next in an invariant sequence” (“Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development”). All of the 6 stages he created, represent the morality in which a child or adult can be at; he created an age zone for each stage. There are a total of 6 stages but each main concept consists of 3 levels. Level 1 is the preconventional stage. This stage focuses on punishment/obedience and how the person decides to act due to the

This paper will examine that part of human growth and development which may observed in the early childhood period (preschool years), in particular that area of growth and development termed “morality”.

In this stage the child not only gets his/her moral basis from the adults or the older guardians but in this stage they learn that there is not only one point of view and each individual has his or her own point of views