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Exploring Developmental Theories: Freud, Erikson, and Moral Education

An exploration of key developmental theories by Freud and Erikson, alongside a discussion on moral education.

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    Exploring Developmental Theories: Freud, Erikson, and Moral Education 1. Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages and the Oedipus Complex (1 - page) In your response, provide an overview of Sigmund Freud's stages of psychosexual development, along with an explanation of the three agencies of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. Address one major criticism of Freud's Oedipus complex theory, specifically regarding either the boy or the girl. Conclude with a brief summary of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development and discuss whether it is necessary for individuals to go through all stages in Erikson's theory, citing evidence to support your answer. (Word count: approximately 300 - 350 words) 2. Moral Development (1 - page) After reading the article Moral Development: An Overview (including Piaget’s theory, Kohlberg’s theory, and related perspectives), summarize the key points from the article. Reflect on your personal opinion regarding the findings. Do you agree or disagree with the theories presented? Provide a detailed explanation of your position. Additionally, discuss what you believe is the responsibility of schools and teachers in promoting morality and character education in today's society, incorporating your reflections from the provided resources. (Word count: approximately 300 - 350 words)

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    1. The first paper needs to be one page and include the following: Sigmund Freud’s stages of psychosexual development. Including an explanation of his concepts of the agencies of the mind (id, ego, superego) and one major criticism of Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex (with respect to either the boy or the girl). Conclude with brief summary of Erikson’s stages and answer: must we go through all the stages in Erikson’s theory? Cite evidence to support your response. 2nd paper: S EE and read the attached article and Summarize the information in the article: Moral Development Reflect and report on your opinion of the findings? D o you agree or disagree? E xplain your position. What do you feel is the responsibility of the school and teachers when considering the role of morality/character education in our society? R eflect on the information in the must see websites home Copyright 2008 Larry Nucci Last modified: 12/02/08 Moral Development and Moral Education: An Overview Piaget's Theory | Kohlberg's Theory | Domain Theory Carol Gilligan | Conclusion | Selected References Printer Friendly Version Moral education is becoming an increasingly popular topic in the fields of psychology and education. Media reports of increased violent juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, and suicide have caused many to declare a moral crisis in our nation. While not all of these social concerns are moral in nature, and most have complex origins, there is a growing trend towards linking the solutions to these and related social problems to the teaching of moral and social values in our public schools. However, considerations o f the role schools can and should play in the moral development of youth are themselves the subject of controversy. All too often debate on this topic is reduced to posturing reflecting personal views rather than informed opinion. Fortunately, systematic research and scholarship on moral development has

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    been going on for most of this century, and educators wishing to attend to issues of moral development and education may make use of what has been learned through that work. The following overview provides an introduction to the main perspectives guiding current work on moral development and education. Readers interested in gaining an in - depth and up - to - date understanding of research and scholarship in the field may do so by returning to this web site each month and selecting Featured Articles. back to top | Printer Friendly Version Piaget's Theory | Kohlberg's Theory | Domain Theory Carol Gilligan | Conclusion | Selected References Piaget's Theory Jean Piaget is among the first psychologists whose work remains directly relevant to contemporary theories of moral development. In his early writing, he focused specifically on the moral lives of children, studying the way children play games in order to learn more about children's beliefs about right and wrong(1932/65). According to Piaget, all development emerges from action; that is to say, individuals construct and reconstruct their knowledge of the world as a result of interactions with the environment. Based on his observations of children's application of rules when playing, Piaget determined that morality, too, can be considered a developmental process. For example, Ben, a ten year old studied by Piaget, provided the following critique of a rule made - up by a child playing marbles: "it isn't a rule! It's a wrong rule because it's outside of the rules. A fair rule is one that is in the game". Ben believed in the absolute and intrinsic truth of the rules, characteristic of early moral reasoning. In contrast, Vua, aged thirteen, illustrates an understanding of the reasoning behind the application of rules, characteristic of later moral thinking. When asked to consider the fairness of a made - up rule compared to a traditional rule, Vua replied "It is just as fair because the marbles are far apart"(making the game equally difficult). In addition to examining children's understanding of rules about games, Piaget interviewed children regarding acts such as stealing and lying. When asked what a lie is, younger children consistently answered that they are "naughty words". When asked why they should not lie, younger children could rarely explain beyond the forbidden nature of the act: "because it is a naughty word". However, older children were able to explain "because it isn't right", and "it wasn't true". Even older children indicated an a wareness of intention as relevant to the meaning of an act: "A lie is when you deceive someone

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    else. To make a mistake is when you make a mistake". From his observations, Piaget concluded that children begin in a "heteronomous" stage of moral reasoning, characterized by a strict adherence to rules and duties, and obedience to authority. This heteronomy results from two factors. The first factor is the young child's cognitive structure. According to Piaget, the thinking of young children is characterized by egocentrism. That is to say that young children are unable to simultaneously take into account their own view of things with the perspective of someone else. This egocentrism leads children to project their own thoughts and wishes onto others. It is also associated with the uni - directional view of rules and power associated with heteronomous moral thought, and various forms of "moral realism." Moral realism is associated with "objective responsibility", which is valuing the letter of the law above the purpose of the law. This is why young children are more concerned about the outcomes of actions rather than the intentions of the person doing the act. Moral realism is also associated with the young child's belief in "immanent justice." This is the expectation that punishments automatically follow acts of wrong - doing. One of the most famous cases of such childhood thinking was that of the young boy who believed that his hitting a power pole with his baseball bat caused a major power blackout in the New York city area. The second major contributor to heteronomous moral thinking in young children, is their relative social relationship with adults. In the natural authority relationship between adults and children, power is handed down from above. The relative powerlessness of young children, coupled with childhood egocentrism feeds into a heteronomous moral orientation. However, through interactions with other children in which the group seeks a to play together in a way all find fair, children find this strict heteronomous adherence to rules sometimes problematic. As children consider these situations, they develop towards an "autonomous" stage of moral reasoning, characterized by the ability to consider rules critically, and selectively apply these rules based on a goal of mutual respect and cooperation. The ability to act from a sense of reciprocity and mutual respect is associated with a shift in the child's cognitive structure from egocentrism to perspective taking. Coordinating one's own perspective with that of others means that what is right needs to be based on solutions that meet the requirements of fair reciprocity. Thus, Piaget viewed moral development as the result of interpersonal interactions through which individuals work out resolutions which all deem fair. Paradoxically, this autonomous view of morality as fairness is more compelling and leads to more consistent behavior than the heteronomous orientation held by younger children.

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