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Moral Development (Moral Feelings (According to Freud, the superego -- the…
Moral Development
Moral Feelings
According to Freud, the superego -- the moral branch of personality --- develops as the child resolves the Oedipus conflict and identifies with the same-sex parent in the early childhood years. Among the reasons children resolve the Oedipus conflict is the fear of losing their parents' love and of being punished for their unacceptable sexual wishes toward the opposite-sex parent. To reduce anxiety, avoid punishment, and maintain parental affection, children form a superego by identifying with the same-sex parent. 
In the psychoanalytic account of moral development, the self-punitiveness of guilt is responsible for keeping the child from commiting transgressions. That is, children conform to societal standards to avoid guilt.
Other emotions characterize the child's moral development such as empathy, which is reacting to another person's feelings with an emotional response that is similar to the other's feelings. Infants have the capacity for some purely empathetic responses, but empathy often requires the ability to discern another's inner psychological states, or what is called a "perspective taking".
For effective moral action, children need to learn how to identify a wide range of emotional states in others. As well as anticipate what kinds of action will improve another person's emotional state.
Types of Morality
Heteronomous morality: occurs from approximately four to seven years of age. Justice and rules are conceived of as unchangeable properties of the world, removed from the control of people
Autonomous morality: is displayed by older children (about 10 years of age and older). The child becomes aware that rules and laws are created by people and that in judging an action, one should consider the actor's intentions as well as the consequences.
Children ages 7-10 are in transition between heteronomous morality and autonomous morality, showing some features of both.
Moral Reasoning
Preschool-age children are heteronomous moralists, they judge the rightness/goodness of the behaviour by considering the consequences of the behaviour, not the intentions of the actor. Therefore, breaking 12 cups accidentally is considered worse than breaking 1 cup purposely. For the moral autonomist, the reverse it true. The actor's intentions assume paramount importance.
Heteronomous thinkers also believe that rules are unchangeable and are handed down by all-powerful authorities.
The heternomous thinker also believes in imminent justice, the concept that if a rule is broken, punishment will be meted out immediately. The young child believes that a violation is connected automatically to its punishment.
Moral Behaviour
When children are rewarded for behaviour that is consistent with laws and social conventions, they are likely to repeat that behaviour in the same situation. Likewise, after punishment, the target behaviour is likely to be reduced in the same situation.
Behavioural and social cognitive researchers emphasize that what children do in one situation is often only weakly related to what they do in other situations. For instance, a child might cheat in class but not in a game.
The process of reinforcement, punishment, and imitation can explain the development of moral behaviour.
What is it?
The development of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours regarding standards of right and wrong.
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