HDFS 1070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Human Sexuality, Joycelyn Elders, Slut
23 Jan 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Applied Focus – Peers and Moral Development
age 8-12, 5th 6th 7th 8th graders
What is Moral Development? Why Highlight Moral Development?
- all the man made atrocities that occur in our society is a result of someone acting in a
immoral way, speaks to the health, welfare, and safety of our society, immoral decision =
harm is done to our society and individuals, willingness to act in ways that don’t reflect a
moral way
- highlight middle school years - morality is influenced more by peers than parents
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development (how morality develops within individuals)
moral reasoning and moral thinking evolves in 3 distinct levels, not everyone reaches all
levels
● Level 1: Pre Conventional
○ Based on whether behavior is rewarded or punished
○ Based on whether consequences result in benefits
It’s wrong to take candy from the store → stealing is bad → get caught is wrong but don’t
get caught it’s fine → our responsibility to punish and reward what’s right and wrong →
consequences
● Level 2: Conventional
○ Based on whether “authorities” approve or disapprove
○ Based on whether the behavior upholds or violates the laws of society
We’re supposed to follow the rules that are established by authority. We’re supposed to
act in ways others tell us what’s right and wrong. Based on whether the behavior upholds or
violates the laws of society.Sometimes they know the rules but they don’t act that way.
● Level 3: Post Conventional
○ Based on preserving social contracts grounded in cooperation and
collaboration
○ Based on ethical principles
Ethical principles independent of what the law is. Always people who’ve believed in the
equality of people of different races and sexual orientation etc. Post conventional individuals are
always pushing social justice and human rights, pushing society to change the laws.
What Factors Shape Moral Development?
● Obviously parental approval and modeling are important - parents values and their
approval, What the likelihood of us to develop an immoral compass if they don’t abide by
the rules? stealing flowers example, if you’re immoral the people in power will
disapprove of you
● Television/media? - more children are watching immoral/moral conduct
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● Peers and Moral Dilemmas - moral development occurs as we have opportunities to
engage in moral dilemmas and experience the consequences in our behavior ex: let’s go
to the mall and tell our parents we’re studying, let’s pick on Colin because he’s fat,
always being tested to follow/not follow the rules by your peers
○ this provides us with opportunities to decide for ourselves whether we’re going to
side by our peers, parents or actually development our moral conduct
○ I don’t want to do that because I’m not comfortable with it.
○ Elevates peer relationships to the most important shaper, still don’t understand
why some individuals tend to seek the approval of others at the expense of
developing a more ethical conduct → immoral people have fundamental anxieties
about whether they matter or whether they’re competent, need trust that we’re
loved and the world is a safe place (ex: want boss’s approval so dump chemicals
even though they cause cancer)
Applied Example: The Development of Prejudice - constantly present in societies from the
beginning of history, always people being discriminated, tell people that everyone has equal
rights but you would also promote opportunities for kids to have moral dilemmas that result in
them learning that discrimination makes no sense, eliminate prejudices = providing meaningful
experiences/contact or witness people being discriminated against (empathy), especially during
youth and peer orientated years
● Cultural values and societal standards
● Parents and authorities
● Meaningful Contacts with Disadvantaged Others
○ Contacts create moral dilemmas
○ Dilemmas provide an opportunity for moral development to move to more
advanced levels (Level 3)
Applied Topic: Sexual Script Development
What is a Sexual Script?
- sense of who you are = sexual identity, embedded in this is a script - how you’re
supposed to act in sexual situations, sexual socialization occurs during your lifetime,
even before you’re sexually active
Addresses 5 “W” Questions
● Who you have sex with
○ Sexual orientation - heterosexuals and homosexuals both understand that they
are in their middle school years, long before they’re active, why people have
different orientations probably has to do with hormones and genetics
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Applied focus peers and moral development age 8-12, 5th 6th 7th 8th graders. Highlight middle school years - morality is influenced more by peers than parents. Kohlberg"s theory of moral development (how morality develops within individuals) moral reasoning and moral thinking evolves in 3 distinct levels, not everyone reaches all levels. Based on whether behavior is rewarded or punished. Based on whether consequences result in benefits. It"s wrong to take candy from the store stealing is bad get caught is wrong but don"t get caught it"s fine our responsibility to punish and reward what"s right and wrong consequences. Based on whether authorities approve or disapprove. Based on whether the behavior upholds or violates the laws of society. We"re supposed to follow the rules that are established by authority. We"re supposed to act in ways others tell us what"s right and wrong.
