What Are The Basic Ethical Principles And Moral Development Theory

 

Profession: A paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged (special) training and a formal qualification

Professional Ethics:

u  It is a term that encompasses the organizational and personal standards of behavior a professional individual is expected to possess.

u  Most organizations have their own internal code of practice that defines the professional ethics of a certain profession.

u  Basic Ethical Principles

u  Beneficence – 

Doing good to others:

Least Harm:

Autonomy:

Non-violence or Peace:

Justice:

Moral Development:

u  Moral development is the gradual development of an individual's concept of right or wrong conscious, religious values, social attitudes and certain behavior

Moral Development Theory:

u  He used storytelling technique to tell people stories involving moral dilemmas

u  In each case, he presented a choice to be considered, for example, between the rights of some authority and the needs of some deserving individual who is being unfairly treated

u  One of the best known of Kohlberg’s (1958) stories concerns a man called Heinz who lived somewhere in Europe

u  Heinz’s wife was dying from a particular type of cancer. Doctors said a new drug might save her. The drug had been discovered by a local chemist, and the Heinz tried desperately to buy some, but the chemist was charging ten times the money it cost to make the drug, and this was much more than the Heinz could afford

u  Heinz could only raise half the money, even after help from family and friends. He explained to the chemist that his wife was dying and asked if he could have the drug cheaper or pay the rest of the money later

u  The chemist refused, saying that he had discovered the drug and was going to make money from it. The husband was desperate to save his wife, so later that night he broke into the chemist’s and stole the drug

u  1. Should Heinz have stolen the drug?

u  2. Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?

u  3. What if the person dying was a stranger, would it make any difference?

u  4. Should the police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman died?

u  By studying the answers from children of different ages to these questions, Kohlberg hoped to discover how moral reasoning changed as people grew older. The sample comprised 72 Chicago boys aged 10–16 years, 58 of whom were followed up at three-yearly intervals for 20 years (Kohlberg, 1984)

u  Level 1: Pre-conventional Morality

  Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation:

u  Kohlberg's stage 1 is similar to Piaget's first stage of moral thought. The child assumes that powerful authorities hand down a fixed set of rules which he or she must unquestioningly obey

u  When asked to elaborate, the child usually responds in terms of the consequences involved, explaining that stealing is bad "because you'll get punished"

Stage 2. Individualism and Exchange:

u  This stage children recognize that there is not just one right view that is handed down by the authorities. Different individuals have different viewpoints

u  At stage 1 punishment is tied up in the child's mind with wrongness; punishment "proves" that disobedience is wrong

u   At stage 2, in contrast, punishment is simply a risk that one naturally wants to avoid

u  Level 2: Conventional Morality

 

Stage 3. Good Interpersonal Relationships:

u  At this stage children who are by now usually entering their teens see morality as more than simple deals

u  They believe that people should live up to the expectations of the family and community and behave in "good" ways

u   Good behavior means having good motives and interpersonal feelings such as love, empathy, trust, and concern for others

Stage 4. Maintaining the Social Order:

u  Stage 3 reasoning works best in two person relationships with family members or close friends, where one can make a real effort to get to know the other's feelings and needs and try to help.

u  At stage 4 , in contrast, the respondent becomes more broadly concerned with society as a whole. Now the emphasis is on obeying laws, respecting authority, and performing one's duties so that the social order is maintained

u  Level 3: Post-conventional Morality

  Stage 5 Social Contract and Individual Rights:

u  At stage 5 people begin to ask, "What makes for a good society?" They begin to think about society in a very theoretical way, stepping back from their own society and considering the rights and values that a society ought to uphold

u  They then evaluate existing societies in terms of these prior considerations

u  Stage 5 subjects, then, talk about "morality" and "rights" that take some priority over particular laws

u  Kohlberg insists, however, that we do not judge people to be at stage 5 merely from their verbal labels. We need to look at their social perspective and mode of reasoning.

   Stage 6: Universal Principles:

u  Kohlberg believes that there must be a higher stage 6 which defines the principles by which we achieve justice

u  Kohlberg's conception of justice follows that of the philosophers Kant and Rawls, as well as great moral leaders such as Martin Luther King.

u  According to these people, the principles of justice require us to treat the claims of all parties in an impartial manner, respecting the basic dignity, of all people as individuals

u  The principles of justice are therefore universal; they apply to all. Thus, for example, we would not vote for a law that aids some people but hurts others. The principles of justice guide us toward decisions based on an equal respect for all

u  Moral Development Theory:

u  At stage 1 Children think of what is right. Doing the right thing is obeying authority and avoiding punishment

u  At stage 2, Children are no longer so impressed by any single authority; they see that there are different sides to any issue. Since everything is relative, one is free to pursue one's own interests, although it is often useful to make deals and exchange favors with others

u  At stages 3 and 4, Young people think as members of the conventional society with its values, norms, and expectations. At stage 3, they emphasize being a good person, which basically means having helpful motives toward people close to. At stage 4, the concern shifts toward obeying laws to maintain society as a whole

u  At stages 5 and 6 People are less concerned with maintaining society for its own sake, and more concerned with the principles and values that make for a good society. At stage 5 they emphasize basic rights and the democratic processes that give everyone a say, and at stage 6 they define the principles by which agreement will be most just.