Exploring Developmental Theories: Freud, Erikson, and Moral Education

Name: Exploring Developmental Theories: Freud, Erikson, and Moral Education
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Author: Claire Mitchell

An exploration of key developmental theories by Freud and Erikson, alongside a discussion on moral education.

Claire Mitchell

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Exploring Developmental Theories: Freud, Erikson, and Moral Education
1. Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages and the Oedipus Complex (1-page)
In your response, provide an overview of Sigmund Freud's stages of psychosexual development,
along with an explanation of the three agencies of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. Address
one major criticism of Freud's Oedipus complex theory, specifically regarding either the boy or
the girl. Conclude with a brief summary of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development and
discuss whether it is necessary for individuals to go through all stages in Erikson's theory, citing
evidence to support your answer.
(Word count: approximately 300-350 words)
2. Moral Development (1-page)
After reading the article Moral Development: An Overview (including Piaget’s theory, Kohlberg’s
theory, and related perspectives), summarize the key points from the article. Reflect on your
personal opinion regarding the findings. Do you agree or disagree with the theories presented?
Provide a detailed explanation of your position. Additionally, discuss what you believe is the
responsibility of schools and teachers in promoting morality and character education in today's
society, incorporating your reflections from the provided resources.
(Word count: approximately 300-350 words)

1. The first paper needs to be one page and include the following:
Sigmund Freud’s stages of psychosexual development. Including an explanation of his concepts of the
agencies of the mind (id, ego, superego) and one major criticism of Freud’s theory of the Oedipus
complex (with respect to either the boy or the girl).
Conclude with brief summary of Erikson’s stages and answer: must we go through all the stages in
Erikson’s theory? Cite evidence to support your response.
2nd paper: SEE and read the attached article and Summarize the information in the article: Moral
Development Reflect and report on your opinion of the findings? Do you agree or disagree? Explain your
position.
What do you feel is the responsibility of the school and teachers when considering the role of
morality/character education in our society? Reflect on the information in the must see websites
home
Copyright 2008 Larry Nucci
Last modified: 12/02/08
Moral Development and Moral Education: An Overview
Piaget's Theory | Kohlberg's Theory | Domain Theory
Carol Gilligan | Conclusion | Selected References
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Moral education is becoming an increasingly popular topic in the fields of psychology and education.
Media reports of increased violent juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, and suicide have caused many to
declare a moral crisis in our nation. While not all of these social concerns are moral in nature, and most
have complex origins, there is a growing trend towards linking the solutions to these and related social
problems to the teaching of moral and social values in our public schools. However, considerations of
the role schools can and should play in the moral development of youth are themselves the subject of
controversy. All too often debate on this topic is reduced to posturing reflecting personal views rather
than informed opinion. Fortunately, systematic research and scholarship on moral development has

been going on for most of this century, and educators wishing to attend to issues of moral development
and education may make use of what has been learned through that work. The following overview
provides an introduction to the main perspectives guiding current work on moral development and
education. Readers interested in gaining an in-depth and up-to-date understanding of research and
scholarship in the field may do so by returning to this web site each month and selecting Featured
Articles.
back to top | Printer Friendly Version
Piaget's Theory | Kohlberg's Theory | Domain Theory
Carol Gilligan | Conclusion | Selected References
Piaget's Theory
Jean Piaget is among the first psychologists whose work remains directly relevant to contemporary
theories of moral development. In his early writing, he focused specifically on the moral lives of children,
studying the way children play games in order to learn more about children's beliefs about right and
wrong(1932/65). According to Piaget, all development emerges from action; that is to say, individuals
construct and reconstruct their knowledge of the world as a result of interactions with the environment.
Based on his observations of children's application of rules when playing, Piaget determined that
morality, too, can be considered a developmental process. For example, Ben, a ten year old studied by
Piaget, provided the following critique of a rule made-up by a child playing marbles: "it isn't a rule! It's a
wrong rule because it's outside of the rules. A fair rule is one that is in the game". Ben believed in the
absolute and intrinsic truth of the rules, characteristic of early moral reasoning. In contrast, Vua, aged
thirteen, illustrates an understanding of the reasoning behind the application of rules, characteristic of
later moral thinking. When asked to consider the fairness of a made-up rule compared to a traditional
rule, Vua replied "It is just as fair because the marbles are far apart"(making the game equally difficult).
In addition to examining children's understanding of rules about games, Piaget interviewed children
regarding acts such as stealing and lying. When asked what a lie is, younger children consistently
answered that they are "naughty words". When asked why they should not lie, younger children could
rarely explain beyond the forbidden nature of the act: "because it is a naughty word". However, older
children were able to explain "because it isn't right", and "it wasn't true". Even older children indicated
an awareness of intention as relevant to the meaning of an act: "A lie is when you deceive someone

else. To make a mistake is when you make a mistake". From his observations, Piaget concluded that
children begin in a "heteronomous" stage of moral reasoning, characterized by a strict adherence to
rules and duties, and obedience to authority.
This heteronomy results from two factors. The first factor is the young child's cognitive structure.
According to Piaget, the thinking of young children is characterized by egocentrism. That is to say that
young children are unable to simultaneously take into account their own view of things with the
perspective of someone else. This egocentrism leads children to project their own thoughts and wishes
onto others. It is also associated with the uni-directional view of rules and power associated with
heteronomous moral thought, and various forms of "moral realism." Moral realism is associated with
"objective responsibility", which is valuing the letter of the law above the purpose of the law. This is why
young children are more concerned about the outcomes of actions rather than the intentions of the
person doing the act. Moral realism is also associated with the young child's belief in "immanent
justice." This is the expectation that punishments automatically follow acts of wrong-doing. One of the
most famous cases of such childhood thinking was that of the young boy who believed that his hitting a
power pole with his baseball bat caused a major power blackout in the New York city area.
The second major contributor to heteronomous moral thinking in young children, is their relative social
relationship with adults. In the natural authority relationship between adults and children, power is
handed down from above. The relative powerlessness of young children, coupled with childhood
egocentrism feeds into a heteronomous moral orientation.
However, through interactions with other children in which the group seeks a to play together in a way
all find fair, children find this strict heteronomous adherence to rules sometimes problematic. As
children consider these situations, they develop towards an "autonomous" stage of moral reasoning,
characterized by the ability to consider rules critically, and selectively apply these rules based on a goal
of mutual respect and cooperation. The ability to act from a sense of reciprocity and mutual respect is
associated with a shift in the child's cognitive structure from egocentrism to perspective taking.
Coordinating one's own perspective with that of others means that what is right needs to be based on
solutions that meet the requirements of fair reciprocity. Thus, Piaget viewed moral development as the
result of interpersonal interactions through which individuals work out resolutions which all deem fair.
Paradoxically, this autonomous view of morality as fairness is more compelling and leads to more
consistent behavior than the heteronomous orientation held by younger children.

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Exploring Developmental Theories: Freud, Erikson, and Moral Education

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