Moral Development and Bullying
Bullying’s effects on individuals are becoming more widely recognized in today’s society. Bullying can have long-term consequences for those who are bullied. Bullying is also greatly influenced by moral development. Morality is how an individual should treat others regarding justice, welfare, and rights. Moral values and attitudes develop through cognitive sophistication and are influenced by social exposure. Bullying prevention programs are rising, aiming to raise awareness and encourage bullying. However, the damage has already been done in some cases and may have long-term consequences for the victims.
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Moral development concerns the emergence, change, and understanding of Morality from childhood to adulthood. Moral values and attitudes develop due to cognitive sophistication and extensive social exposure. Bullying is a problematic issue that begins long before middle childhood. It is instilled in children by their parents, authority figures, and sometimes educators. Children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development continues to mature, and as their moral understanding grows, their behavior becomes more closely aligned with their values and beliefs. In middle childhood, children often begin to form opinions about how they should treat others and develop empathy. Depending on their experiences, they will have developed either a positive or a negative sense of empathy.
Certain factors have an impact on moral development. Some children have life experiences, such as trauma, that can interfere with their moral development. Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, the death of a family member or close friend, and witnessing senseless violence are all examples. These traumatic experiences may lead them to believe that life is unfair. Furthermore, there is a social learning factor at work, in which children learn from the adults by witnessing them make bad decisions that disregard the rights and welfare of others. This causes children to develop beliefs and values at odds with the rest of society, making it difficult for them to form meaningful and rewarding relationships with others (Oswalt, 2019).
Bullying is so contentious because bullied children and adolescents are frequently traumatized. Although the severity of trauma varies between children and adolescents, every individual is affected to some extent. The frequency and type of bullying experienced may impact the level of disturbance. Bullying can be classified as verbal, physical, or social. Teasing, name-calling, threatening harm, and sexual comments are all examples of verbal bullying. Physical bullying includes hitting, kicking, spitting, tripping, or pushing the person. Social bullying can include intentionally leaving someone out, telling other children not to befriend someone, and spreading rumors about someone (U.S. Department of Health, 2016). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of high school students were physically bullied in 2009, with girls being more likely to be verbally abused. Bullied children and adolescents frequently identify as depressed, have low self-esteem, have suicidal thoughts, and attempt suicide (CDC, 2009). According to the CDC, one in every six people will consider suicide, and one in every twelve will attempt it. Suicide rates have risen slightly in recent years, while the number of bullied people has also risen.
Most states have enacted some laws or policies to protect children. Montana is the only state with a policy against bullying but no legislation. While eight states have only laws, they lack policies. The law in New York State protects anyone who is harassed, bullied, or discriminated against. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “schools that receive federal funding are required by federal law to address discrimination on a variety of different personal characteristics” (Reuters, 2019). Ten laws in total protect students both in and out of school. Out-of-school protection is intended to deter cyberbullying. These laws went into effect on July 1, 2013. What is particularly intriguing about New York Education Law is that it is the commissioner’s responsibility, if necessary, to develop bullying policies with schools. In addition, the commissioner may state that, in addition to the required licenses, school professionals have completed training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying, and discrimination.
In 1958, Lawrence Kohlberg proposed a theory of moral development, a stage-based model of moral maturity. There are three levels of moral development, each of which has two stages. According to Kohlberg, moral development is a maturing process that results from thinking about moral issues rather than moral teaching. The first level is called Preconventional Morality, characterized by an individual’s motivation to obey authority. This level of moral development involves young children and does not require much moral reflection. According to the first stage, Morality is motivated by punishment, and anything punishable is considered wrong. The second stage focuses on individualism and different points of view to avoid punishment. The second level, Conventional Morality, concerns social norms and customs. This level’s stages emphasize maintaining healthy, happy interpersonal relationships, pleasing others, and maintaining social order by adhering to social norms, customs, and laws. Post-Conventional Morality is the third level, in which individuals look beyond convention to determine moral norms and appropriate social interactions. This level’s stages emphasize the social contract, the preservation of individual rights, and the search for universal principles. Six people attempt to overthrow a totalitarian regime at this stage (Crain, 1985). Kohlberg’s theory is the process of telling a story as an example of how to communicate with children. Because everyone’s mindset is different, he was able to give children the opportunity to respond differently. He wished for the children to make their own moral decisions. This relates to bullying programs in school systems because when the bully’s behavior is counseled, the dialogue opens up a thought process. They can continue on this destructive path, apologize to the bullied child, and stop such inappropriate behavior. Kohlberg also feels that rewarding and punishing good behavior is crucial to teaching a lesson and refers to it as “good boy – bad boy.”
Carol Gilligan, a feminist, disagreed with Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory because she felt it focused on the sexist preference for the male moral point of view over the female moral point of view, as well as the sole focus of the research on privileged white males. His stage theory of moral development included sexist views because the male point of view emphasized rules and rights for individuals at a higher stage than the female point of view. This is a problem because it focuses on care development and its impact on human relationships. Carol Gilligan’s work is credited with establishing the field known as “difference feminism” (Anonymous, 2015). Gilligan discovered that men are more advanced in moral development than women, raising whether Kohlberg’s stages are gender-neutral or universal. Gilligan discovered that men prioritize justice, whereas women prioritize principles of fairness and caring. This is why Gilligan has been chastised for emphasizing gender differences in behavior.
Lawrence Kohlberg’s moral development theory can be applied to the classroom in terms of rules, standards, and consequences because it tracks a child’s level of moral reasoning by assigning him to one of six stages. The first stage is total submission to authority; the final stage is universal ethics. This theory is helpful in schools because educators can apply it by considering where their students’ personal development lies regarding the six stages. Once this is considered, educators can work to achieve optimal moral character in terms of Kohlberg’s level six “Universal Principles” for a positive and constructive learning environment. To avoid punishment, the students will behave appropriately in the first stage—students in the second stage act to earn rewards. Students in the third stage are beginning to consider other people and their expectations. Allowing students to help create a classroom code of conduct will make them more responsible for the rules they set and more interested in following them rather than agreeing to something set by the school or other authorities. School programs should also allow written self-evaluations as part of disciplinary consequences, giving students time to review their reasoning for poor behavior and develop an appropriate solution for the future if another problem arises. This practice relates to Kohlberg’s fourth stage of Morality, which requires individuals to do their part to maintain order by reflecting on the impact of their words and actions. Group projects are another excellent idea. This is a great way to encourage peer engagement, as it places the responsibility for learning on the students and facilitates adherence to the classroom goal of educational enrichment. This method contributes to Kohlberg’s fifth stage of maintaining a social contract. Finally, making time for role play as a problem-solving tool by acting out or viewing situations through someone else’s eyes will help students better understand what is happening. This allows students to make decisions based on their commitment to the group and allows them to focus on ensuring that everyone is involved and engaged. This employs Kohlberg’s sixth stage, in which the needs of all members of society are taken into account.
Many states have enacted policies and laws to discourage bullying in an attempt to address these issues. To help keep school environments safe, programs such as the 2001 “No Child Left Behind Act” were enacted. They do not specifically address bullying but promote a nonviolent learning environment (Edmondson, Zeman, 2011). Because bullying in schools has become such a hot topic in the media, many schools are attempting to raise awareness and reduce bullying behavior. Schools in Michigan, such as Kingston School, have passed budgets for hiring staff to combat bullying in the district. These schools are frequently provided with the Olweus program, the most well-researched and well-known bullying prevention program available today. This program has been researched for over 35 years and has been successfully implemented worldwide. This program has been shown to prevent or reduce school bullying (Hazelden Foundation, 2016). The program provides coaches to assist school personnel in recognizing and responding to signs of bullying.
Finally, moral development describes the evolution of guiding principles and is evidenced by the ability to apply these guidelines in daily life. While parents may find the process of moral development complex and challenging, it is critical for their children’s well-being and success in life to remember that this stage of moral development is critical. Peers have a much more significant influence during the early adolescent period. Because friends play a more significant role in a teen’s life, peer pressure can have a powerful influence. Bullies’ emotional and behavioral problems may persist into adulthood, resulting in long-term adverse outcomes such as low self-esteem and self-worth, depression, antisocial behavior, vandalism, drug use and abuse, criminal behavior, gang membership, and suicidal ideation. These children and adolescents are our future, and we must provide them with the best possible lives. It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. We must take action to protect children and their futures.
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References
Anonymous. (2015, August 11). Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/kohlberg-moral-development
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Featured Topic: Bullying Research|Youth Violence|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/bullyingresearch/index.html
Crain. (1985). Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. pp. 118–136. From: http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm
Edmondson, L., & Zeman, L. D. (2011). National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youth and Families. Making School Bully Laws Matter, rcay 20,(1) 33-38 2011. doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f
Hazelden Foundation. (2016). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program | Violence Prevention Works. Retrieved from http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/olweus_bullying_prevention_program.page
Mossler, R. A., & Ziegler, M. (2016). Understanding development: A lifespan perspective. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc
Oswalt, A. (2019). Adolescent Moral Development. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/adolescent-moral-development/
Reuters, T. (2019). Federal Education Funding. Retrieved from https://education.findlaw.com/curriculum-standards-school-funding/school-finance-and-funding- federal-sources.html
U.S. Department of Health. (2016, September 09). Bullying. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/healthy-relationships/bullying/index.htmlW.C.
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Question 
MAKE A DECISION: Should Emily enroll in a different middle school?
- Yes
- No
Why? Give reasons for why you chose the way you did. Consider the following factors in your reasons:
- Characteristics of children victimized by Bullies
- Relationship between bullying victimization and academic Performance
- Relationship between bullying victimization and mental health