Discuss the criticisms of Kohlberg's theory of moral development.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A criticism of Kohlberg's view is that it does not adequately reflect concern for other people and social bonds. Kohlberg's theory is called a justice perspective because it focuses on the rights of the individual as the key to sound moral reasoning. In contrast, the care perspective, which lies at the heart of Carol Gilligan's approach to moral development, views people in terms of their connectedness with others and emphasizes interpersonal communication, relationships, and concern for others. From Gilligan's perspective, this is a weakness in Kohlberg's approach. Similarly, Kohlberg neglected the influence of culture on morality. Because of its central role in how we relate to each other, culture influences the ways individuals navigate moral dilemmas. Current research on moral judgment shows that moral decisions are influenced by many different cultural values; it is not limited to care versus justice. For instance, modern moral psychologists include not only care and justice but liberty, loyalty, and purity as important dimensions of moral reasoning. Another limitation of Kohlberg's theory is the emphasis on cognitive reasoning-that a person can know the right thing to do and yet might act in an immoral way (Hardy & Carlo, 2011). Contemporary research on moral development has focused on behavior that reflects moral goodness and on the socioemotional factors associated with this behavior.