Developmental (Kohlberg) Moral Dilemma - Essay Example

ASSIGNMENT DEVELOPMENTAL (KOHLBERG) MORAL DILEMMA In matters of religion one cannot say what is right or wrong because this determination dependsupon the faith of each individual. For the sake of argument in this paper early Christians made the right choice for themselves because they were strong in their faith. Their faith meant more to them than common laws. To understand the time period it was necessary to do research. Nero reigned from 54-69 A.D. and much of the persecution started in 64 A.D. The persecution started because of a fire that burned most of Rome. The Christians were blamed for the fire though it could not be proven that they had anything to do with it. Eventually they were convinced of being "enemies of society" and "dangerous characters" and their practices were seen as dangerous to the welfare of the people and state (Atkinson, 2000, p. 2). There were many people who were not Christians who tried to help them. This was a time when Catholicism had its early roots and the Christians were seen as going against the rules of the popular religion. Many Christians were soldiers and they would stand against watching pagan ceremonies that were against their belief which brought them more trouble; however, they would rather die than denounce their faith (Russell, n.d., par. 7). The Romans persecuted them for being different, for believing different and generally for ignoring the Roman religious laws. Crubaugh (2007) makes a good point when he said that the Christians were persecuted at the whim of Nero for no reason at all. In "Christian Persecution" (2009) a point is made that Christianity was identified with the Jews and "Jews were accustomed to resisting political authority in order to practice their religion" (p. 1). The persecution of the Christians was built on fear from the Romans and perpetuated by their need to stay strong in their faith. The Christians were a hearty people and they were a symbol of what happens when people stick strongly to their beliefs. PART II: KOHLBERGS THEORY (SANDROCK, 2007, PGS. 472-473). Level I: Preconventioanal Morality Stage1: Heteronomous morality Kohlberg suggests in this first level that children obey their parents because they are told to obey. Rules are made to be broken and for the early Christians, their faith was stronger than mans law. They did not care that they would be killed for standing up to what they believed. They were making the right choice for what they saw as the right thing to do. They were making the wrong choice because the rules said they should not practice Christianity but should practice paganism instead. If they had done what the Romans said they may not have been persecuted. Stage 2: Individualism, instrumental purpose and exchange Kohlberg said that at this stage children learn there is more than one way to look at the world and that the authorities can have different views (Crain, 1985, p.3). The Christians were right in following their own rules and they probably hoped in the beginning that the Romans would leave them alone. They were practicing a live and let live philosophy which was the right thing to do. This was also the wrong thing to do because the Romans would not leave them alone to worship on their own and many people perished because of it. LEVEL II: CONVENTIONAL REASONING Stage 3: Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity. Children at this stage find that trust, caring and loyalty are very important. They usually adopt their parents moral standards (Sandrock, p. 473). They also believe that people should act in "good" ways (Crain, p. 4). For the early Christians, following their own set of morals based on their faith was the right thing to do. They had faith, trust, caring and loyalty in themselves and other Christians. They didnt need the Romans idea of morality. On the other hand, if they had listened to the Romans, they may have found there would be more opportunity for them. When they did not listen to the Romans they would not have the opportunity to life a full life. Stage 4: Social Systems Morality Kohlberg though that at this stage a child understood that the community was better when they paid attention to and followed the laws of society (Sandrock, p. 473). The social order must be maintained at this stage (Crain, p. 5). The Christians listened to the social order within their believe system rather than the universal law of the land. They lived by Gods law and not mans law. This was a good thing for them because they stuck together in their faith. The Romans followed the community social order and expected that everyone would follow them. This is why it was not a good thing for them to stick to their faith because they lost many things by stubbornly sticking to what they believed in. LEVEL III: POST CONVENTIONAL REASONING Stage 5: Social contract or utility and individual rights In this stage people evaluate the laws and decide whether they fit into their own moral code or not. The Christians evaluated the Roman law and found that there were some things that went against their religion so they did not follow these things. This was the right thing for them to do because their religion gave them hope and happiness. It was the wrong thing to do because they went against the law and were persecuted and acted against by the Romans. Stage 6: Universal ethical principles In this stage people have found their own moral code based on human rights rather than on someone elses principles. The Christians were at this stage from the beginning. They weighed Gods law against Roman law and it was their moral code to follow God. This was a bad decision for them because they put themselves at unnecessary risk because of their faith. NUMBER 2 ASSIGNMENT Imaginary Audience (Sandrock, p. 222) Gina is a teenager who is very popular. She feels that the way she maintains her popularity is to be a friend to everyone. To do this she must be warm, nice to people, smiling all the time and she must look her best. She is always looking at herself in the mirror to make sure she looks good for her public. One challenge wit this attitude is that many people turn away from Gina because they find her obnoxious. According to Bell and Bromnick (2003) the adolescent (Gina) is not aware of the fact that she is not in front of the audience and so she performs for only her imagination. Personal fable Many adolescents go through this phase and Adam is no exception. He is always fantasizing about having a fine car, lots of money and lots of women around him. He has talked to some of his friends about this but his friends assure him that the scenario will never happen. Still, he believes that if he just thinks about it hard enough he will make his dream come true one day. Aalsma, Lapsley and Flannery (2006) suggest that the personal fable is not so much a part of egotism but it is more "an adaptive response to the demands of adolescent ego development" (p. 482). Foundling fantasy Tobey is the middle children of a family with four children. She has always though of herself as someone special and she also does not understand why she is in this family. She thinks her mother and father are too lenient on her other siblings and he brother is just rude. She sometimes wonders if she is adopted because she cannot possibly be a part of such a flawed family. References Aalsma, M.C., Lapsley, D.K. and Flannery, D.J. (2006). Personal fables, narcissism, and adolescent adjustment. Psychology in the Schools 43(4). Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://www.nd.edu/~dlapsle1/Selected%20Journal%20Articles/Aalsma %20Laps%20Flannery%20Personal%20Fables%20Narcissism%20Adol%20 Adjustment.pdf. Atkinson, J. (2000). Nero persecutes the Christians 64 A.D. Eye Witness to History. Retrieved June 3, 2009 from http://www.eyewitnessto history.com. Bell, J.H. and Bromnick, R.D. (2003). The social reality of the imaginary audience: A grounded theory approach. Adolescent Psychology. (summer). Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_150_38/ai_109027875. Christian Persecution (2003-2009). UNRV History. Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://www.unrv.com/culture/Christian-persecution.php. Crain, W.C. (1985). Kohlbergs stage of moral development. Chapter 7. from Theories of development. Prentice-Hall. Retrieved June 3, 2009 from http://faculty.plts.edu/ gpence/html/Kohlberg.htm. Crubaugh, J. (2007). Nero, Christians and the great fire of Rome. Ezine articles. Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Nero,-Christians,-and-the- Great-Fire-of-Rome&id=516522. Russell, A. (n.d.). Roman persecution of the early church. Early Church. Retrieved June 3, 2009 from http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/persecution-russell.html. Sandrock, J. W. (2008). A topical approach to life-span development. 4th Edition, pgs. 222-223 and 472-473. NY: McGraw-Hill. Read More