Author Question: Lawrence Kohlberg gained fame for proposing a developmental model of moral decision-making that ... (Read 63 times)

tfester · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

Lawrence Kohlberg gained fame for proposing a developmental model of moral decision-making that included children, adolescents, and adults. List, in the appropriate order, each of the three levels of morality, and include each of the substages that belong in each level. Provide a brief (one or two-sentence explanation) of each level and stage.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Explain why an adolescent might attempt suicide. Are there ethnic and/or sex differences? If so, what are they?

What will be an ideal response?

strudel15 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The levels are (a) preconventional, (b) conventional, and (c) postconventional morality. In the first level, the substages are the obedience orientation (what is moral is that which avoids punishment) and the instrumental orientation (it is moral to engage in behaviors that look out for your own needs). In the second level the substages are the interpersonal norms (the good boy/good girl orientation, where morality is based on winning the approval of others) and social systems morality stages (where there is a belief and adherence to laws, rules, and social expectations). In the third level, the first substage is the social contract stage (where there is an acceptance that laws are for the good of all society but may become situationally invalid). The second postconventional stage is not given a name in this chapter, but it emphasizes the abstract principles of justice, compassion and equality.

Answer to Question 2

As in adulthood, most suicides in adolescence are linked to feelings of depression and
hopelessness. In some ways, the cognitive expansiveness that accompanies
adolescence (formal operational thinking, flexible thinking, the ability to foresee the
implications of one's actions), may exacerbate, if not lead to, these negative feelings.
Poor problem-solving skills have also been linked to teen suicide. In a sense, teens may
not perceive any other way out of a difficult situation (such as having been arrested or
failing a class). Overall, more females attempt suicide, but more males are likely to
succeed. This may be due, in large part, to the methods employed. Males are more
likely to employ suicide methods that are rapid and deadly (a gun versus sleeping pills).
Native-American adolescents are significantly more likely to attempt suicide (17)
than any other American ethnic group. African-American teens are least likely to
attempt or commit suicide.