Summary
Contents
Subject index
Moral Development and Reality: Beyond the Theories of Kohlberg and Hoffman explores the nature of moral development, social behavior, and human interconnectedness. By comparing, contrasting, and going beyond the works of pre-eminent theorists Lawrence Kohlberg and Martin Hoffman, author John C. Gibbs addresses fundamental questions: What is morality? Can we speak validly of moral development? Is the moral motivation of behavior primarily a matter of justice or of empathy? Does moral development, including moments of moral inspiration, reflect a deeper reality? Moral Development and Reality elucidates the full range of moral development from superficial perception to a deeper understanding and feeling through social perspective-taking. Providing case studies and chapter questions, Gibbs creates a unique framework for understanding Kohlberg’s and Hoffman’s influential contributions.
Kohlberg's Theory: A Critique and New View
Kohlberg's Theory: A Critique and New View
Lawrence Kohlberg's contribution to the field of moral development has been enormous. Indeed, Kohlberg almost single-handedly innovated the field of cognitive moral development in American psychology. Such work scarcely existed in the early 1960s when Kohlberg began to publish his research: “His choice of topics [namely, ‘morality’] made him something of an ‘odd duck’ within American psychology…. No up-to-date social scientist, acquainted with [the relativism of] psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and cultural anthropology, used such words [as moral judgment development] at all” (Brown & Herrnstein, 1975, pp. 307–308). Yet these scientists could not ignore Kohlberg's claim—and supporting evidence—that morality is not basically relative to culture, that is, that across diverse cultures one can discern ...
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