One of the topics in Chapter 11 was Moral development, the development of our id

One of the topics in Chapter 11 was Moral development, the development of our idea of what is right versus wrong. One of the most important psychologists to study moral development was Lawrence Kohlberg, who developed an understanding of children’s moral development by questioning them about moral dilemmas (as described in our textbook). From these moral dilemma interviews Kohlberg developed a stage theory of moral development (see table 11.4 in the text) – his theory had 3 levels (preconventional, conventional, and postconventional) and 6 stages (2 stages within each level):
heteronomous morality
individualism/instrumental purpose and exchange
mutual interpersonal expectations and conformity
social system & conscience
social contract and individual rights
universal ethical principles
One of Kohlberg’s most famous moral dilemmas he used in his moral interviews was the Heinz dilemma. Here is the Heinz Dilemma:
A woman was on her deathbed. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said: “No, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man’s laboratory to steal the drug for his wife. Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?
Below please find 4 examples of children’s responses to the dilemma. In each example the child is explaining why they think Heinz should or should not have stolen the drug. Following in the footsteps of Kohlberg, I’d like you to try to determine
(a) Which of Kohlberg’s levels the child is demonstrating and
(b) Which of Kohlberg’s stages the child is demonstrating. Then in part
(c) I’d like you to explain why you chose the level and stage you chose (i.e. why do you beleive the child is at the level/stage).
Note: For some of these examples the stage of the child might be difficult to determine. If so, just do your best to explain why the stage you chose and, as long as you’re not way off, you’ll still get full credit.
Formatting Your Assignment: For each example, there are 3 components (a) the level (b) the stage, & (c) your explanation of why you beleive the child is at this level/stage. When labeling your answers for each example, include the number of the example, and whether you are answering part (a), (b), or (c). For example, for question 1:
1a) Level of Moral Development
1b) Stage of Moral Development
1c) Why you chose this level and stage
REQUIRED Textbook
Child Development: An Active Learning Approach (4th edition). By Laura Levine & Joyce Munsch – Sage Publications