Prof Ed 1 de Rama

PROF ED 1: THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS
Moral
Development
Theories
Elliot Turiel & Carol Gilligan’s Theories
Elliot Turiel
A Brief History of Turiel
► Elliot Turiel was born in 1938

► PhD in Psychology from Yale
► American psychologist and Chancellor’s Professor of the
Graduate School of Education at the Uhiversity of California,
Berkeley.
Publications:
► Dominance, Subordination, and Concepts of Personal
Entitlement in Cultural Contexts, published in Child
Development (with C. Wainryb, 1994).
► Turiel based his theory of moral development off
of psycholog ist Lawrence Kohlberg’s framework of
The Start of moral reasoning.
Turiel’s Ideas ► Kohlberg stated that, “moral judgments may be

defined as judgments of value, as social judgments,
and as judgments that oblige an individual to take
action.”
► Kohlberg’s theory: There are three types of
reasoners: preconventional, conventional, and
postconventional.
Three Types of Reasoners
• Preconventional reasoners
►reason according to the self perspective. They ignore of social norms
and do not use them in their reasoning process.
• Conventional reasoners
Use social rules and norms to guide their moral reasoning.
• Postconventional reasoners
► Understand the social rules, but do not carefully follow them when
making moral decisions. They instead use the basic principles behind the
social norm to lead their behavior.
The Moral Domain Theory
• Moral Domain theory
- has proposed that individuals acquire moral concepts about fairness,
others’ welfare, and rights (the “moral” domain) beginning in early
childhood, and that this knowledge develops during childhood and
adolescence.
• Turiel wrote a book called “The Development of Social Knowledge:

Morality and Convention”
• There are 3 domains: moral, societal, and psychological.

The three domains of knowledge:
• the moral
- principles of how individuals ought to treat one another
• the societal
- regulations designed to promote the smooth functioning of
social groups and institutions
• the psychological
- the understanding of self, others, and beliefs about
individuality
What’s the
difference ► Morality is about fairness and the minimization of
harm to others. This concept is easy for children to
between understand
Morality and ► Social Convention is made up of concepts like
Social politeness and respect. Because these are abstract
they are more difficult for children to understand.
Convention?
Domain Theory
Kids associate behavior through experiences; whether ornot they will be
punished.
Moral Rules
-rules people follow because the decisions that an individual makes
affects others; maintaining human rights.-manifest a concern for the
welfare of others and are not influenced by opinion.
Conventional Rules
-Societal rule ( standing in line, when to be quiet)
Cultures around the world hold similar basic morals, but different
conventional
What Turiel has done?
• Turiel’s research focuses on social and moral development
Formulated a Theory of Domains of social development
involving the development of moral judgment (based on
concepts of welfare, justice and rights) and their distinction
throughout development from understandings of conventions,
and customs of societies- as well as from arenas of personal
jurisdiction. He has applied the theoretical approach to the
study of the relations of morality and culture. His research
shows that cultures are not homogeneous and that different
groups on in social hierarchies disagree on how to apply
considerations of justice and equality. His research
investigates social opposition and moral resistance to cultural
practices perceived as unjust.
Carol Gilligan
• A feminist theorist and psychologist.
• November 25, 1936 in New York City.
• Best known for her research into the moral
development of girls and women.
• Author of “Different Voice” book (Psychological
Theory and women’s Development (1982).
Carol Gilligan Moral Development Theory
• Started doing research by listening to women and rethinking
the meaning between self and selfishness.
• Primary focus was on females.
• Carol Gilligan was the first consider gender differences in

her research with the mental processes of males and females
their moral development.
• She came to realize men think in terms of rules and justice.
• Women think in terms of caring and relationships.
Three Stages of Moral
Development/Ethics of Care:
• Ethics of care
- directs our attention to the need for responsiveness in relationships
(paying attention, listening, responding) and the costs of losing
connection with oneself or with others. Its logic is inductive, contextual.
Psychological, rather than deductive or mathematical.
1. PRE-CONVENTIONAL – women interest in their self.
2. • Goal is individual survival
3. • Person only cares about themselves in order to ensure survival
• This is how everyone is as children
2. CONVENTIONAL – women overemphasize others interest.

• Self-sacrifice is goodness
• Responsibility
3. POST-CONVENTIONAL – women interest together with the

interest of others.
• Principle of Non-Violence
• Do not hurt others or self
• Acceptance of the principle of care of self and others
• Some people never get to this last stage
Gilligan’s Moral Development Theory and Human
Behavior
- Gilligan showed that women were no less valid because they didn't
fall into Kohlberg's category of higher moral development.
- Gilligan's theory broke the current foundation that there is
dimensions of moral reasoning.
- Women are more likely to adopt a care based perspective
whereas men are more likely to adopt a justice based perspective.
- Gilligan's stages of female moral development shows different
ways men and women can handle ethical issues.
Strength and Limitations of Gilligan’s Theory
Strengths
• Shows that there is more than one dimension of moral reasoning, i.e.
dimensions of care, and importance of social welfare and relationships,
instead of only an impartial attainment of justice.
Limitations
• Focused solely on women. Critics say that her model is as gender specific
as Kohlberg’s, therefore it is equally erroneous in an attempt explain human
morality.
SHORTCOMINGS
• One critique state’s that Gilligan’s observations are the result of societal
expectations of gender rather than differences that naturally arise from
gender. Thus. If societal expectations were different, the moral orientations
of males and females would also be different.
• Gilligan's emphasis on gender differences however,
has been criticized by some feminist, who argue that
focusing on differences between men and women
can serve as a justification for ongoing inequality.
Quote from Carol Gilligan:
“Women must learn to tend

to their own interest and the
interest of others.”
Thank you!
Do you have any questions?
Discussant:
Mica Ella M. De Rama
BSED FIL 2B

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PROF ED 1: THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS

► Elliot Turiel was born in 1938

Turiel’s Ideas ► Kohlberg stated that, “moral judgments may be

• Turiel wrote a book called “The Development of Social Knowledge:

• There are 3 domains: moral, societal, and psychological.

• Primary focus was on females.

• Carol Gilligan was the first consider gender differences in

2. CONVENTIONAL – women overemphasize others interest.

3. POST-CONVENTIONAL – women interest together with the

“Women must learn to tend

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