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Perspective Newsletters
Fall 2004
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
Page 2
 Join
a dialogue with any group of adults talking about children and teenagers and you
are likely to hear someone say, "Kids these days just don't seem to know right from
wrong anymore".
Certainly, most of our children and teenagers are full of promise and moral strength
but the rise of gangs, violence and the popular belief that the ends justify the
means seem to be more pervasive than in the past.
While it seems that anguish about the next generation goes back centuries, the Greek
philosopher Socrates complained that youngsters in his day were upstarts and ingrates.
The concern about the morals, values and actions of our children and youth seems
heightened in recent years and remains very much in the forefront of our minds for
many compelling reasons.
Our children are, after all, the adults of tomorrow, in charge of the future but
also perhaps because the stakes for young people are so high in our society right
now. Young people who make rash or wrong decisions in today's world may face death
by violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and deadly STDs at one extreme. These negative
choices may seem contagious in ways, dehumanizing those affected, adding to the concern
that things for this generation are indeed worse than in the past.
We also seem to lack consensus about how we got here and what to do to better prepare
our children with a healthy code of right and wrong.
Firstly, there is the dilemma of what is right and wrong in the first place; cultures
and values differ. Who sets the mores and why?
While the dilemma of who and how we determine common values of right and wrong in
our diverse society is a dialogue for another day, most can agree that non-violent
interpersonal interactions, fairness and respect for others and their property advances
happy productive lives and communities.
Secondly, it depends on who you ask; an educator, a politician, a psychologist, a
philosopher, a policeman or a member of the clergy, an historian or anthropologist,
all from any number of camps, are all eager to shed their own light on today's youth
and their troubles with right and wrong.
While there are many perspectives and opinions about the ills of our youth's views
of right and wrong, understanding more about how right and wrong is developed and
internalized by children can aid us in teaching, supporting and shaping positive
values and mores.
In the 1970s and 80s, Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg, following Piaget's theories of children's
stages of cognitive development, researched the moral development of children. Like
Piaget, he identified discreet, sequential stages. Although Kohlberg's ideas are
theoretical and offer a single dimension of moral development, his model provides
insight and direction for positively leading the moral development of children.
The following is excerpted directly from Dr. Clayton E. Tucker-Ladd, Psychological
Self Help, ISBN 1-890873-004, 1996-2000. The following six stages are taken
mostly from Piaget (1932), Kohlberg (1975), and Rosen (1980).
Stage 1: Respect for power and punishment.
A young child (age 1-5) decides what to do--what is right--according to what he/she
wants to do and can do without getting into trouble. To be right, you must be obedient
to the people in power and, thus, avoid punishment. Motto: "Might makes right."
Stage 2: Looking out for #1.
Children (age 5-10) tend to be self-serving. They lack respect for the rights of
others but may give to others on the assumption that they will get as much or more
in return. It is more a matter of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," instead
of loyalty, gratitude, or justice. Motto: "What's in it for me?"
Stage 3: Being a "Good Boy" or "Nice Girl."
People at this stage (age 8-16) have shifted from pleasing themselves to pleasing
important others, often parents, teachers, or friends. They seek approval and conform
to someone else's expectations. When they are accused of doing something wrong, their
behavior is likely to be justified by saying "everyone else is doing it" or "I didn't
intend to hurt anyone." Motto: "I want to be nice."
Stage 4: Law and order thinking.
The majority of people 16 years old and older have internalized society's rules about
how to behave. They feel obligated to conform, not any longer to just family and
friends, but also to society's laws and customs. They see it as important to do one's
duty to maintain social order. Leaders are assumed to be right; individuals adopt
social rules without considering the underlying ethical principles involved. Social
control is, therefore, exercised through guilt associated with breaking a rule; the
guilt in this case is an automatic emotional response, not a rational reaction of
conscience based on moral principles (as in stage 6). People at this stage believe
that anyone breaking the rules deserves to be punished and "pay their debt to society." Motto: "I'll
do my duty."
Stage 5: Justice through democracy.
People at this stage recognize the underlying moral purposes that are supposed to
be served by laws and social customs; thus, if a law ceases to serve a good purpose,
they feel the people in a democracy should get active and change the law. Thought
of in this way, democracy becomes a social contract whereby everyone tries continually
to create a set of laws that best serves the most people, while protecting the basic
rights of everyone. There is respect for the law and a sense of obligation to live
by the rules, as long as they were established in a fair manner and fulfill an ethical
purpose. Only about 20-25% of today's adults ever reach this stage and most of those
that do supposedly only get there after their mid-twenties. Motto: "I'll live by
the rules or try to change them."
Stage 6: Deciding on basic moral principles by which you will live your life
and relate to everyone fairly.
These rather rare people have considered many values and have decided on a philosophy
of life that truly guides their life. They do not automatically conform to tradition
or others' beliefs or even to their own emotions, intuition, or impulsive notions
about right and wrong. Stage 6 people carefully choose basic principles to follow,
such as caring for and respecting every living thing, feeling that we are all equal
and deserve equal opportunities, or, stated differently, the Golden Rule. They are
strong enough to act on their values even if others may think they are odd or if
their beliefs are against the law, such as refusing to fight in a war. Motto: "I'm
true to my values."
Using these stages as guideposts may prove helpful in assisting the young in their
moral development. Adults in a position to directly influence moral development can
take heart by understanding and utilizing this framework and in the knowledge that
life brings with it a drive towards good and effective moral development.
Despite the many forces within and out of our control and theirs, we are all charged
with the responsibility of shaping the next generation. We can count on systematic
growth in moral development; this helps us when taking an active and positive hand
in helping young people develop a productive code of right and wrong.
Francesca Creo, M.A.
Director of Programs
fcreo@bellatlantic.net
In Memoriam
Oscar Lynn Roach
1918-2004
Leary School of Virginia is saddened to report the death
earlier this fall of Oscar Lynn Roach.
Mr. Roach worked at the Leary School of Virginia as our maintenance man for
over ten years.
During all the years he was with us, Mr. Roach became an important and loved
member of our staff. We will always remember his tomatoes, the fudge his
wife, Agnes, would send in to us and the perpetual joy he brought to his
work and every encounter we had with him.
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