Moral Development Theories--Secular and Religious introduces readers to 13 secular models and 13d religious theories in a wide-ranging comparative study of the roots of moral development. The secular models include attribution theory, cognitive-structural views, social-learning and social-cognition approaches, Freud's psychoanalysis (plus Erikson and Fromm), Marxist beliefs, a composite theory, Hoffman's conception of empathy, Anderson's information-integration view, Gilligan's gender distinction, Sutherland and Cressey's explanation of delinquency, and Lovinger on ego development. Religious theories represent the Judaic-Christian-Islamic line, Hinduism and derivatives (Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism), Confucianism, Shinto, and four minor theories drawn from the belief systems of the Navajo, Zulus, Vodou adherents, and Okinawans. The description of each theory is designed to answer a common set of questions introduced in Chapter 1. The closing section of each chapter evaluates that chapter's theories in terms of a series of assessment standards described in Chapter 2. The book's final chapter inspects all of the theories from the viewpoint of five desires that people often hold in relation to their conceptions of moral development. The desires are: (a) for immanent justice; (b) to understand the causes of the consequences that result from people's behavior in moral situations; (c) to become immortal; (d) to enjoy a happy life, and (e) to understand the moral-development process in order to help others who need moral guidance.
Author(s): R. Murray Thomas
Year: 1997
Language: English
Pages: 328
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables and Figures......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
Part I: A Framework for Comparing Theories......Page 16
The Guide Questions Summarized......Page 18
The Guide Questions Examined......Page 19
Conclusion......Page 36
The Eight Criteria......Page 38
Conclusion......Page 43
Part II: Secular Theories......Page 44
One Version of Attribution Theory......Page 46
Attribution Theory—Further Answers......Page 57
An Assessment of Attribution Theory......Page 61
4 Cognitive Structuralism......Page 66
Piaget‘s Version of Moral Development......Page 67
Kohlberg‘s Moral-Reasoning Hierarchy......Page 72
An Assessment of Kohlberg‘s Theory......Page 78
5 Social Learning, Social Cognition......Page 82
Sources of Moral Behavior......Page 83
The Nature of Moral Values......Page 84
Processes of Development......Page 85
Answers to Guide Questions......Page 102
An Assessment of Social-Learning Theory......Page 103
6 Psychoanalysis......Page 106
Freud‘s Psychoanalytic Theory......Page 107
Noteworthy Variations of Freudian Theory......Page 124
An Assessment of Psychoanalysis......Page 128
7 Marxist Conceptions......Page 132
Marxism‘s Philosophical Roots......Page 133
Moral Virtues and Human Nature......Page 135
Stages of Moral Development......Page 139
Variants of Marxist Theory......Page 141
Additional Moral-Development Matters......Page 143
An Assessment of Marxist Theory......Page 145
8 A Composite Theory......Page 150
Foundational Components......Page 151
Long-Term Memory......Page 153
Environments......Page 159
Working Memory......Page 162
Stages of Moral Development......Page 165
An Assessment of the Composite Theory......Page 166
Hoffman‘s Empathy......Page 170
Anderson‘s Information-Integration Theory......Page 172
Gilligan‘s Compassionate Caring......Page 174
Sutherland and Cressey on Delinquency......Page 177
Loevinger on Ego Development......Page 178
Conclusion......Page 182
Part III: Theories Implied in Religious Doctrine......Page 184
10 The Judaic-Christian-Islamic Line......Page 188
Beliefs Held in Common......Page 189
Judaic Doctrine......Page 193
Christian Doctrine......Page 199
Islamic Doctrine......Page 207
Judaic-Christian-Islamic Theory Assessed......Page 214
11 Hinduism and Derivatives—Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism......Page 220
Common Features of the Four Traditions......Page 221
Hinduism......Page 223
Buddhism......Page 235
Jainism......Page 240
Sikhism......Page 245
An Assessment of the Four Perspectives......Page 249
Common Features of the Two Traditions......Page 252
Confucianism......Page 253
Shinto......Page 261
An Assessment of the Theories......Page 270
13 Representative Minor Religions......Page 276
The Navajo View......Page 277
Zulu Beliefs......Page 279
Haitian Vodou......Page 282
The Okinawan View......Page 286
Conclusion......Page 290
Part IV: Afterword......Page 292
Expecting Immanent Justice......Page 294
Understanding the Causes of Consequences......Page 298
Achieving Immortality......Page 299
Enjoying a Happy Life......Page 300
Understanding the Moral Development Process......Page 302
References......Page 304
A......Page 314
C......Page 315
D......Page 316
E......Page 317
F......Page 318
I......Page 319
K......Page 320
M......Page 321
P......Page 322
R......Page 323
S......Page 324
Z......Page 326
