Stages of Moral Development - Part 4

Are you surprised at how long it's taking for human beings to develop a sense of morality that goes beyond themselves and the boundaries of their known world? (See the last 3 entries for context.)  I think this is one of the most helpful things to know about children and teens - that the solid moral stance of adulthood takes so long to develop, and goes through such distinct phases.   The moral development theorists acknowledge that some people never go beyond Stage 2 or 3.  We are about to move on, in Stage 4, to an understanding that is bigger than personal self-interest, and some people never get there.

In Stage 4, which begins in the high school years, there is a sense of responsibility to the system.  This can be a social system like a family - or church group or school.  It implies not only the social system itself but the values system that underlies it.  This is why it's important not to assume that your high school child knows what your values are by now.  This is the most important time to be talking about them, when a child is ready to understand that there is a system of values.

In this stage, what's right is fulfilling one's responsibilities to the social or values system that one feels part of.  The reason to do that is to keep the system intact, and to maintain self-respect as someone who meets obligations and lives up to expectations.  This is growth from Stage 3, because it is more independent and has a society-wide perspective.  It brings from Stage 3 the sense of caring about people personally, but takes a bigger view.  Teens begin to understand that there is a bigger world out there, one in which they will be finding their place and contributing.  They are learning to be citizens of a wider community.  This is why teens can be so committed to service projects, as a way of living out this new reality.

A person in Stage 4 can choose responsible behavior because the thinking is "What if everybody did as they pleased, took what they wanted?  The whole system would collapse."  Stage 4 is law-abiding, and its drawback is that it will usually value the system, the "law", over individual rights.  When a person in Stage 4 sees a conflict between the system and individual rights, it usually chooses the side of the system.  It will be in the next and final stage that full realization of systems as human constructs, that can be changed when individual rights are violated, will develop.

Teen-agers, who are developing abstract reasoning along with this expanded moral sense, are eager to discuss their ideas of right and wrong, and wrestle with imaginary scenarios that require hard decisions.  Keep talking to them, and asking them what they think.  It's through thinking and imagining that they will fine-tune their understanding.  Make sure they have chances to serve some part of their society - through school, church or family.  Let them experience the satisfaction of contributing their unique gifts to the world.