Morality is a set of rules that are formed as a result of people living together. Thanks to moral rules, individual and social behaviors are directed.
Children understand what is right and wrong thanks to their moral development. Moral development in children occurs in a certain order. Social life, cognitive development level, and good analysis of observed events are effective in the formation of value judgments. Moral development follows a sequential order and depends on the age factor.
According to Piaget, there is a great interaction between the cognitive development of the child and moral judgments. According to him, attention should be paid to how the child interprets the rules. Therefore, Piaget tried to explain the moral development of children by examining the games they play.
Piaget divided moral development into three periods: the pre- moral period, the period of adherence to external rules, and the period of moral autonomy.
The pre-moral period is the period that corresponds to the 0-6 age range of children. Before the age of six, children are not mentally mature enough to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad. For this reason, this period is called the pre-moral period.
According to him, children's moral rules do not exist before the age of six. In this period, the concept of morality cannot be mentioned. Children in the 0-6 age range are egocentric. In the period when children are egocentric, moral rules cannot be mentioned. Children play the game unaware that there are certain rules in the games they play in the 0-2 age range. After the age of two, they realize that there are rules in games, but they do not understand that these rules must be followed and why the rules must be followed. Children between the ages of 6-10 accept the existence of rules. Children in this age range think that the rules of the game cannot be changed. Between the ages of 10-12, they realize that the rules can be changed .
The period of adherence to external rules covers the ages of 6-10. According to the children in the period, the rules cannot be changed and those who do not follow the rules are punished. In other words, it is the period when authority is obeyed without questioning. Children of this period are moral realists. The consequences of the event are evaluated according to the concrete results, without considering the cause of the event. Whether the behavior is good or bad is decided according to whether it brings reward or punishment. Behavior that brings reward is good, behavior that brings punishment is bad. The rules set by the adults determine what to do and what not to do, and the children adapt to these rules.
The moral autonomy period covers the period of 10 years and above. During this period, the child's number of friends begins to increase. Children's moral principles begin to change gradually during this period. In the period of adherence to the external rule, the intention is not important, but in this period, the intention becomes important. The child can be forgiven if the rules have been broken in good faith. This shows us that the rules began to be changed during this period. Autonomous morality prevails in children. Gradually, human rights and freedoms are started to be respected.
Kohlberg also stated a theory of moral development. Kohlberg's theory of moral development is the elaboration of Piaget's theory. But Kohlberg does not observe children's play. He gives children specific events and observes how they will react to these events. Moral development depends on age and level of mental maturity.
There are three stages in Kohlberg's theory: the preconventional level (ID), the traditional level (superego), and the postconventional level (ego).
The preconventional level includes the rules of Piaget's period of adherence to external rules. During this period, the rule is set by others. The child directs his behavior according to the good and bad categories accepted by the society. That is, behavior that brings reward is good, behavior that brings punishment is bad.
The first stage of the preconventional level is the obedience-punishment tendency. Children at this stage adapt to authority and avoid punishment. The cause of the events is not important. Penalties are given according to the size of the events. At this stage, there is a moral understanding based on fear. Therefore, if the thing that provides the authority is not around, the rules can be broken. Rules are valid for them if the authority is in the middle. Other people's behavior is not considered. At this stage, the child only cares about his own wishes and behaviors. The second stage of this level is pure self-interest. The child cares about his own wants and needs. He finds the behavior appropriate if his needs are met and it brings rewards. The sense of exclusivity came to the fore. He focuses on what benefits him. They also exhibit a self-interested attitude in mutual relations. He obeys the rules as long as he adapts to his own wishes.
At the traditional level, the egocentric thinking of the child is replaced by empathy. The child begins to grasp the consciousness of society. For this reason, they begin to understand the behavior patterns in the society and these behaviors become valuable. The child begins to care about the wishes of his family. In this period, loyalty gains importance and rules are internalized. He keeps his own wishes in the background against the wishes of the people around him. The third stage within the traditional level is the good boy disposition. The child in the third stage is united with his peers. The child tries to be a good individual and wants to be approved by the society. With the development of his empathic thinking, he begins to understand how others can view things. What society thinks about itself is important. Now that the society is important, it is important for him to be included in a group and not be excluded from the group. In this direction, it tries to comply with the rules. The fourth stage is the law and order trend. Now the laws of society apply. It is aimed to adapt to the social order and society. Laws are accepted and obeyed without questioning. Those who do not obey the law are excluded.
At the post-conventional level, the individual creates his own value systems. Compliance with human rights and freedoms is ensured. The concept of society has been accepted and transcended. At this level, the individual turns to values outside the society. The fifth stage in this level is the tendency of social contracts. It begins to look at rights, especially individual rights, from a critical point of view. Awareness is reached that laws can be changed through democratic means. After all, laws exist for people to live comfortably. The law that cannot provide this comfort should be changed. In the fifth stage, this consciousness is reached. The proportion of adults who reach this stage is only 25%. The sixth stage is the tendency of universal moral principles. It is accepted that all people are equal regardless of language, religion or race. Concepts such as justice, equality and human rights gain value. Individuals begin to help each other. The importance of human life is well understood. No one can take away the right to live.