LESSON 2
DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL
CHARACTER
Aristotle tells us that there are good people in the world. These are those
who exhibit excellences
• (1)excellences of thought and
• (2) excellences of character.
His phrase for excellences of character éthikai aretai - we usually translate
as moral virtue or moral excellence.
Aristotle defines virtuous character of the beginning of Book Il in
Nicomachean Ethics: "Excellence of character, then, is a state concerned
with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by reason
and in the way in which the man of practical wisdom would determine it.
In Aristotle's view, good character is based on two naturally occurring
psychological responses that most people experience without difficulty;
our tendency to take pleasure from self-realizing activity,
our tendency to form friendly feeling towards others under specific
circumstances.
INTRODUCTION
Moral character or character is an evaluation of an
individual's stable moral qualities. The concept of
character can imply a variety of attributes including
the existence or lack of virtues such as empathy,
courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good
behaviors or habits.
Psychologist Lawrence Pervin defines moral character
as "a disposition to express behavior in consistent
patterns of functions across a range of situations"
(Timpe, 2008).
WHAT IS MORAL CHARACTER?
1. Achieve peace of mind – People with character sleep well at
night.
2. Strengthen trust – People with character enjoy meaningful
relationships based on openness, honesty, and mutual
respect.
3. Build a solid reputation – People with character command a
rock-solid reputation.
4. Reduce anxiety – People with character carry less baggage.
5. Increase leadership effectiveness – Leaders with character
are highly effective. They have no need to pull rank or resort
to command and control to get results.
IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A STRONG MORAL
CHARACTER
6. Build confidence – People with character don't worry about
embarrassment if their actions are publicly disclosed.
7. Become a positive role model – People with character set the
standard for excellence. They live their life as an open book,
teaching other important life lessons through their words and
their deeds.
8. Live a purpose-driven life – People with character live a life
they can be proud of.
9. Build a strong business – Doing the right thing is good
business.
Although you may not be able to quantify the benefits of being
a good person, there's a great truth in the saying, “good
people finish first.”
If you believe developing your character
is an endeavor you want to pursue, here
are some steps to show you how:
DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL CHARACTER
1. Define your core values
Know what is most important to you by determining your values for
your professional and personal life. These are the principles that are
the foundation for your priorities, choices, actions, and behaviors.
2. Practice the habits
Pick one or two of the traits of good character to practice for several
weeks. Write down the actions you want to take or the behaviors you
define that reflect this trait, and implement them in your daily life
and interactions. Wear a rubber band on your wrist or create other
reminders to help you practice.
3. Find people with character
Surround yourself with people who reflect the character traits you
want to embrace. They will inspire and motivate you to build these
traits in yourself. Try to avoid people who have a weak character and
make bad decisions.
4. Take some risks
Start taking small actions toward a goal or value that involve some
level of risk. When you face the possibility of failure and challenge
yourself toward success, you become mentally and emotionally
stronger and more committed to your principles.
5. Stretch yourself
Create high standards and big goals for yourself. Expect the best of
yourself and constantly work toward that, even though you will have
setbacks and occasional failures. Every stretch builds your confidence
and knowledge that your character is getting stronger.
6. Commit to self-improvement
Realize that building your character is a life-long endeavor. It is
something that is practiced both in the minutiae and the defining
moments of your life. There will be times you step up to the character
traits you embrace and other times you falter.
1. Attract the trust and respect of other people.
2. Allows you to influence others.
3. Changes your perspective about failure.
4. Sustains you through difficult times or opposition.
5. Improves your self-esteem, self-respect, and confidence.
6. Creates a foundation for happy, healthy relationship.
7. Helps you stay committed to your values and goals.
8. Improves your chance of success in work and other
endeavors.
SOME GOOD CHARACTER TRAITS TO PRACTICE
Good character consist of defining your
values and integrity based on time-tested
principles and self -reflection and having
the courage to live your life accordingly.
CHARACTER TRAITS THAT IMPACT ONE'S
HAPPINESS
1. Integrity – Integrity is having strong moral principles and core values and
then conducting your life with those as your guide. When you have integrity,
you main your adherence to it whether or not other people are watching.
2. Honesty – Honesty is more than telling the truth. It's living the truth. It is
being straightforward and trustworthy in all of your interactions,
relationships, and thoughts. Being honest requires self-honesty and
authenticity.
3. Loyalty – Loyalty is faithfulness and devotion to your loved ones, your
friends, and anyone with whom you have a trusted relationship. Loyalty can
also extend to your employer, the organizations you belong to your
community. and your country.
4. Respectfulness – You treat yourself and others with courtesy, kindness,
deference, dignity, and civility. You offer basic respect as a sign of your value
for the worth of all people and your ability to accept the inherent flaws we all
possess.
5. Responsibility – You accept personal relational career, community, and
societal obligations even when they are difficult or uncomfortable. You
follow through on commitments and proactively create or accept
accountability for your behavior and choices.
6. Humility – You have a confident yet modest opinion of your own self- importance. You
don't see yourself as "too good for other people or situations You have a learning and
growth mindset and the desire to express and experience gratitude for what you have,
rather than expecting you deserve more.
7. Compassion – You feel deep sympathy and pity for the suffering and misfortune of others,
and you have a desire to do something to alleviate their suffering.
8. Fairness – Using discernment, compassion, and integrity, you strive to make decisions
and take actions based on what you consider the ultimate best course or outcome for all
involved.
9. Forgiveness - You make conscious intentional decisions to let go of resentment and anger
toward someone for an offense whether or not forgiveness is sought by the offender.
Forgiveness may or may not include pardoning restoration or reconciliation. It extends
both to others and to one's self.
10. Authenticity – You are able to be your real and true self without pretension posturing, or
insincerity. You are capable of showing appropriate vulnerability and self-awareness
11. Courageousness – Inspite of fear of danger, discomfort, or pain, you have the
mental fortitude to carry on with a commitment, plan, or decision, knowing it is the
right or best course of action.
12. Generosity - You are willing to offer your time, energy efforts, emotions, words, or
assets without the expectation of something in return. You offer these freely and
often joyously.
13. Perseverance - Perseverance is the steadfast persistence and determination to
continue on with a course of action, belief, or purpose, even if it's difficult or
uncomfortable in order to reach a higher goal or outcome.
14. Politeness - You are knowledgeable of basic good manners, common courtesies,
and etiquette, and are willing to apply those to all people you encounter. You desire
to learn the skills of politeness in order to enhance your relationships and self-
esteem.
15. Kindness - Kindness is an attitude of being considerate, helpful, and benevolent to
others. It is motivated by a positive disposition and the desire for warm and
pleasant interactions.
16. Lovingness - The ability to be loving toward those you love means showing them through
your words, actions, and expressions how deeply you care about them. It includes the
willingness to be open and vulnerable.
17. Optimism - Optimism is a sense of hopefulness and confidence about the future. It
involves a positive mental attitude in which you interpret life events, people, and situations
in a promising light.
18. Reliability - You can be consistently depended upon to follow through on your
commitments, actions, and decisions. You do what you say you will do.
19. Conscientiousness - You have the desire to do things well or to the best of your ability. You
are thorough, careful, efficient, organized, and vigilant in your efforts, based on your own
principles or sense of what is right.
20. Self-discipline - You are able through good habits or willpower, to overcome your desires or
feelings in order to follow the best course of action or to rise your commitments or
principles. You have a strong sense of self-control in order to reach a desired goal.
LESSON 3
STAGES OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
A major task beginning in childhood and
continuing into adolescence is discerning right
from wrong. Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg
(1927–1987) extended the foundation that Piaget
built regarding cognitive development Kohlberg
believed that moral development, like cognitive
development follows a series of stages. To
develop this theory. Kohlberg posed moral
dilemmas to people of all ages, and then he
analyzed their answers to find evidence of their
particular stage of moral development.
INTRODUCTION
Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral
development, a comprehensive stage theory of
moral development based on Jean Piaget's theory
of moral judgment for children (1932) and
developed by Kohlberg in 1958. Cognitive in
nature. Kohlberg's theory focuses on the thinking
process that occurs when one decides whether a
behavior is right or wrong. Thus, the theoretical
emphasis is on how one decides to respond to a
moral dilemma, not what one decides or what one
actually does.
KOHLBERG'S STAGES OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
Stage 1: Punishment/obedience orientation
• Behavior is determined by consequences. The
individual will obey in order to avoid
punishment.
Stage 2: Instrumental purpose orientation
• Behavior is determined again by
consequences. The individual focuses on
receiving rewards or satisfying personal needs.
LEVEL 1: PRE-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
Conformity to social rules remains important to the
individual. However, the emphasis shifts from self-
interest to relationships with other people and social
systems.
The individual strives to support rules that are set
forth by others such as parents, peers, and the
government in order to win their approval or to
maintain social order.
LEVEL 2: CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
Stage 3: Good Boy/Nice Girl orientation
• Behavior is determined by social approval. The individual wants
to maintain or win the affection and approval of others by being
a "good person."
Stage 4: Law and order orientation
• Social rules and laws determine behavior. The individual now
takes into consideration a larger perspective that of societal
laws. Moral decision making becomes more than consideration
of close ties to others. The individual believes that rules and
laws maintain social order that is worth preserving.
At the postconventional level, the
individual moves beyond the perspective
of his or her own society. Morality is
defined in terms of abstract principles
and values that apply to all situations and
societies. The individual attempts to take
the perspective of all individuals.
LEVEL 3: POST-CONVENTIONAL OR
PRINCIPLED LEVEL
Stage 5: Social contract orientation
• Individual rights determine behavior. The individual views laws
and rules as flexible tools for improving human purposes. That is
given the right situation, there are exceptions to rules. When
laws are not consistent with individual rights and the interests of
the majority, it does not bring about good for people and
alternatives should be considered
Stage 6: Universal ethical principled orientation
• According to Kohlberg, this is the highest stage of functioning
However, he claimed that some individuals will never reach this
level. At this stage, the appropriate action is determined by one's
self-chosen ethical principles of conscience. These principles
are abstract and universal in application. This type of reasoning
involves taking the perspective of every person or group could
potentially be affected by the decision.
How does this theory apply to males and females? Kohlberg (1969) felt
that more males than females move past stage four in their moral
development. He went on to note that women seem to be deficient in their
moral reasoning abilities. These ideas were not well received by Carol
Gilligan, a research assistant of Kohlberg, who consequently developed her
own ideas of mural development. In her groundbreaking book, in a
"Different Voice Psychological Theory and Women's Development". Gilligan
(1982) criticized her former mentor's theory because it was based only on
upper class white men and boys. She argued that women are not deficient
in their moral reasoning- she proposed that males and females’ reason
differently. Girls and women focus more on staying connected and the
importance of interpersonal relationships.
Moral development plays an important role in our social interactions.
Understanding how and why individuals make decisions regarding moral
dilemmas can be very useful in many settings. Kohlberg's theory of moral
development provides a framework in which to investigate and begin to
comprehend how moral reasoning develops within individuals.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST KOHLBERG'S
THEORY
Level 1 Stage 1
Pre – conventional Obedience and Stage 2
morality punishment , Individual interest
behavior driven by behavior driven by self –
avoiding interest and rewards
punishment
Level 2 Stage 3 Stage 4
Conventional Interpersonal Authority, behavior driven
morality behavior driven by by obeying authority and
social approval confirming to social order
Level 3 Stage 5
Post – conventional Social contract Stage 6
morality behavior driven by Universal ethics,
balance of social behavior driven by
order and internal moral principles
individual rights
KOHLBERG 3 LEVELS OF MORAL
REASONING
