Analysis of Theories by Lawrence Kohlberg, Jean Piaget, and John B Watson - Essay Example

Analysis of Theories by Lawrence Kohlberg, Jean Piaget, and John B Watson Abstract To reflect on developmental psychology, this paper will rely on theories by Lawrence Kohlberg, Jean Piaget, and John B Watson to describe my relationships with principle caregivers in my life. It will also analyze how my experience has been changing, as I became an adult and my understanding of how my experience and development differs from my parents’, children’s' and grandparents' experience. The paper will also use material from the readings and illustrate it with my developmental experience as case material. It will conclusively compare the ideas presented by the theorists, ideas presented in other chapters, and how they reflect on own developmental experience. Reflection Psychology is an aspect of human science that deals with thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Nature, biology, and even psychology dictate that every human being regardless of age, society, or culture is in a continued process of growing and aging. The changes that are associated with human growth are physical, intellectual, emotional, cognitive, social, and personality. Hence, we can explicitly define developmental psychology as the scientific study of these changes throughout a human lifespan. However though development occurs at all ages, much concern lies in child development because it subsequently influences later developments in life (Berryman and Smythe, 2002). Moral development is universal in all theories. The level of our psychological development can be articulated by the level our moral development. However, this development relies on biological factors like changes in cognition, and brain development that was more vigorous in childhood. Many researchers have drawn different theories and patterns explaining this development. Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg both agreed with the view that moral development is universal and applied the cognitive approach to deduce their conclusions. They denote a correlation between moral reasoning and moral action. However, John B Watson drew a conclusion in his behaviorism and social cognitive theory that moral development in children relates to learning theories. He observed that environment is very important in deciding personalities, abilities, and qualities of children as they grow up. Cognitive moral development is the psychological change in thinking about consequences in morality. These may include duties, rights, justice, roles, and judgments. This takes several stages as explained by Jean Piaget’s and Lawrence Kohlberg in their theories of cognition. Children below the age of 10 years strictly abide by the rules. They follow orders, and adult commands without question. However, they do this in fear of the possible consequences of not adhering like punishments and rebukes. They do not abide by these orders out of understanding of the moral rightness of their actions and their acts are not intentional. Although there is an assumption that children have no choice, they actually have the freedom to choice but only exercise it in absence of those giving orders. Parents and principle caregivers have access to dictating children’s morals by rebuking them in a wrongdoing, choosing their friends and environment. However, this does not exclusively deny children their freedom of choice. I grew up in an environment characterized by Christian values and was brought up by my grandmother. I grew up knowing that my grandmother’s word was final and thus had no authority to question her decisions upon me. My grandmother chose my friends, places of visit and my code of conduct. She told me it is wrong to walk at night, steal, or even whistle to strangers. She encouraged and taught me the Christian values that I have adored to this day. She encouraged me to help other children, obey my parents, and desist from insults. I followed all her rules in fear of the punishments attached upon disobeying. Sometimes I did not know if what I was doing is good but I had to do it anyway to please her. Though I feared her, I equally loved her because she would sometimes reward me with sweets and other goodies upon behaving what she deemed fit. My environment equally taught me to respect rules especially the Bible and thus I have grown to be obedient. However, the Church taught us what is good and what is wrong and the consequent rewards. I feared the death and the devil that were associated with bad children and thus strived to be a good child. These attributes have been very helpful in my development as a person because they laid my foundation. Even as I grew up, I have maintained obedience and have always sought to do what is morally right. These virtues have developed my personality and defined my moral values despite the new experiences that I now possess. Adult psychological development relies on Lawrence Kohlberg theory of cognitive development. As I grew up, I learnt what to do in moral conflict, how to reason based on what is morally right. This is so because what I presumed to be right might not be right to others. I learnt my duties and rights as well as those of others. I also learnt to include other people’s perspectives and needs in decision-making. I have experienced many situations where other people’s needs and rights surpassed mine and thus I had to accord them priority. My culture and social experience influences my moral reasoning. I have experienced other cultures, which have variant moral values and obligations. I did not necessarily have to adhere by them but I respected the positions of those affected by them. My culture expects a lot of respect to the elders and authority, which I have demonstrated in my development. I understand that my experience and development varies from my grandparent’s experience because of my different exposure, and the lessons I derive from class, environment, and life itself. The school environment, my age, and my peers have introduced new experiences and developments different from those of my grandparent. Jean Piaget’s and Lawrence Kohlberg have analysed different stages of cognitive and psychological development. The two stages in Jean Piaget’s theory advanced to six stages in the Lawrence Kohlberg theory. I find Piaget’s claim that children act in fear of consequences rather than intentions to be very true and applicable in my development experience (Shaffer, 2008). I only kept my grandmother’s order for fear of reprimands or punishments if I failed to obey. This was not in any way depending on my intentions for I had no choice at that age. Watsons claim in the behaviorism and social cognitive theory that the environment is the most important factor in determining our personality, qualities and abilities, is equally applicable in my development (Levine and Munsch, 2010). My Christian environment instilled some Christian virtues and behaviors as I grew up. It also determined my qualities like obedience that are widely taught in church. I concur with the excursion by Lawrence Kohlberg in his cognitive theory, that individuals constructs what is morally right in a moral conflict, or a moral choice and that the reasoning lies on what is morally right (Power, 2008). I have indeed experienced this in my development where we had a conflict with a friend whether it is morally right to play a secular song in a church or whether a gospel artist can perform in a club. My ability to reason in this relied on moral uprightness of the two acts. In comparing the theorists’ ideas, it is very clear that where Jean Piaget’s and Lawrence Kohlberg based their theories on cognitive development, Watson based his on behaviors and the environment. Both Jean Piaget’s and Lawrence Kohlberg claims that moral and even psychological developments takes part in stages and relies on brain development and changes in cognition. Watson on the other hand believed that behavioral lesson theories and the environment determined the development of any individual especially a child. Where Piaget has believed that development results from a combination of internal and external factors, Watson believed external factors like education and environment are enough for development. These ideas have reflected my developmental experience. I however find much correlation in Piaget’s ideas as opposed to Watson’s ideas. This is because my developmental experience is a combination of cognitive changes, education, environment, and other factors. I also find Lawrence Kohlberg idea on the different stages of development as stages I passed in my line of development. In conclusion, I find Watson’s theory somewhat skewed in explaining the psychological development. References Berryman et al. (2002). Developmental psychology and you. London: Wiley-Blackwell. Munsch, J & Levine, E. (2010). Child Development: An Active Learning Approach. London: SAGE. Power, F. (2008). Moral Education: A-L. London: Greenwood Publishing Group. Shaffer, R. (2008). Social and Personality Development London: Cengage Learning. Read More