Kohlberg's Theory

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What are the benefits & limitations to Kholberg's theories?

-- Patrich Dinnall (patrich_kar@yahoo.com), June 04, 2002

Answers

Response to Kholberg's Theory

There is a lot of professional literature on both sides of Kohlberg's theory. You might read Diana Baumrind's classic critique

Baumrind, D. (1975). It neither is nor ought to be: A reply to Wallwork. In E. C. Kennedy (Ed.), Human rights and psychological research: A debate on psychology and ethics (pp. 83-102). New York: Thomas Crowell.

Also look up "Kohlberg" and "moral development" in an encyclopedia or dictionary of psychology, and in developmental textbooks. You might check a reference work like Lawrence Balter (Ed.), Parenthood in America: An Encyclopedia. Denver: ABC-CLIO.

Be sure also to check feminist critiques by writers such as Carol Gilligan and Nancy Chodorow. Kohlberg's theory is regarded as reflecting a masculine, rationalist, individualistic bias.

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@earthlink.net), June 04, 2002.


Response to Kholberg's Theory

Kohlberg's most important contribution to psycology was the introduction to indirect testing/analysis of moral reasoning. This has allowed the continued exploration of this field resulting in the cognitive-developmental model of morality, which postulates the concept of mental domains, or structures, of thinking. the greatest limitation is that all moral theorizing is based on concepts not yet directly provable, but generally, only approachable from an indirect tack.

-- Paul Crossett (pjc55@kvalley.com), June 05, 2002.

Response to Kholberg's Theory

You might also have a look at Carol Gilligan's _In a Different Voice_, which was a major nail in the theory's coffin (from a feminist perspective).

-- Christopher Green (cgreen@chass.utoronto.ca), June 05, 2002.

Gillian's theory WAS thought to hurt Kohlberg's, but even Gillian admitted that when taken to its logical limits, the justice imperative from Kant, in Kohlberg's theory, is not gender biased and equal application of justice removes the need for a feminist plank.

-- PJ Crossett (pjc55@kvalley.com), June 06, 2002.

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