Johnny is shopping one day with his best friend, Tom. Tom tries on a couple of shirts. Before coming out of the dressing room, he leaves one shirt on under his old shirt and walks out a side door. Meanwhile, the clerk has called the security guard who demands that Johnny tell him the name of the other boy. The owner of the store threatens prosecution as an accomplice if Johnny does not tell the name.
Photographic image: A Young man being confronted with an authority—superimposed images of mother, friends)
Adolescents are often faced with difficult decisions to make. Certainly a teacher would point out the reasons Jonny should reveal Tom’s name: What kind of friend would leave you to take the responsibility for his stealing, how much do you owe a friend (it will go on your record, not his). Shoplifting is wrong and hurts us all because prices go up. However, often it is hard for teenagers to truly consider the future consequences of their present activities. Johnny may say: This store can afford it; it was just one shirt; no adult (authority figure) is going to make me do anything, much less squeal on a friend; Tom would do the same for me; or, stealing isn’t that bad. Johnny may also find himself under quite a bit of peer pressure because there are other guys in the gang who have taken the ‘rap’ for friends. Anyway, “If you’re tough and a man, you can take it”.
Perhaps the investigators who have the most work in the areas of moral development and cognitive developmental approaches to the formation of a value system are Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. Piaget presented three aspects in the hierarchal stages of moral development:
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1. Goodness is defined as obedience to adult commands; acts that do not conform are bad.
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2. Rules are perceived as given from above; they are externally imposed and consequently demand external compliance to the letter of the law rather than the spirit.
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3. An act is evaluated in terms of its consequences rather than its intentions. Punishment is incurred for behavior, regardless of the person’s intentions.
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Piaget also conceded to the thought that the child slowly and gradually discontinues to view morality in the terms of “unilateral authority” and changes to a focus on rules as essential for getting along with peers.
In Kohlberg’s work, this movement has been extended and elaborated. He pictures six stages in his theory of moral development:
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Stage one: the child gives in to the superior position and power of the parent.
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Stage two: the child agrees to a rule or does a favor only if he thinks it will benefit him (egocentrism).
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Stage three: “good boy-nice girl” orientation. Here the youngster tries to get approval from others and conforms in order to please.
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Stage four: Law and order orientation. Stick to the rules so as to maintain social order.
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Stage five: “social contract-legalistic orientation”—justice flows from a contract between the governor and governed that assures equal rights for all.
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Stage six: High abstract—the individual chooses according to ethical principles.
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Now what does this have to do with Johnny and his plight? He’s embarrassed, he’s challenging authority, having his peer group’s values and beliefs challenged and thinks of himself as a have not. He doesn’t tell on his friend, thinks authority stinks, becomes embittered and takes the ‘rap’.
Suggested classroom strategy
Guide the students through a discussion which allows them to share their points of view, hear what their classmates have to say, explore their feelings and a discussion which allows you in a nonjudgemental manner to present the Piaget and Kohlberg concepts. Should Johnny protect his friend and not tell his name? Why or why not. Does Johnny really owe anything to Tom, who left him holding the bag?
Hand out large index cards. Have each student write a case study—situation in which a boy is faced with a moral dilemma and must make a decision. Examples to start with:
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-Tony is out on a date. He wants to ‘score’ to impress his friend, but he really cares for this girl and knows they aren’t ready to have intercourse.
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-Ricky asks one girl to the prom. Before the date set for the dance arrives, he’s begun to like another girl better than the one he’s invited.
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-Lenny is walking down the street at night with a group of boys. One boy starts taunting an elderly woman walking alone.
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-John sees a school classmate taking a bike from a neighbor’s yard. He knows the other boy is just going to take the bike for a joy ride and then abandon it.
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-Greg’s sister (age 15) has been asked out by Ralph, a boy in Greg’s crowd. Greg knows some things about Ralph’s attitudes about girls in the past that he (Greg) doesn’t like.
Collect the Cards and select a few to read out loud. Allow the students to share their advice and solutions.
