Postconventional Moral Thinking: A Neo-Kohlbergian Approach

493 Pages·1999·1.34 MB·English

by  James Rest

Postconventional Moral Thinking : A Neo-
title:
Kohlbergian Approach
author: Rest, James R.
publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
isbn10 | asin: 0805832858
print isbn13: 9780805832853
ebook isbn13: 9780585176703
language: English
Moral development, Kohlberg, Lawrence,-
subject
-1927-
publication date: 1999
lcc: BF723.M54P675 1999eb
ddc: 155.2/5
Moral development, Kohlberg, Lawrence,-
subject:
-1927-
Page iii
Postconventional Moral Thinking
A Neo-Kohlbergian Approach
James Rest
Darcia Narvaez
Muriel J. Bebeau
Stephen J. Thoma
Center for the Study of Ethical Development University of Minnesota
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS
1999 Mahwah, New Jersey London
Copyright © 1999 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, retrieval system, or any other
means, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
10 Industrial Avenue
Mahwah, NJ 07430
Cover design by Kathryn
Houghtaling Lacey
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Postconventional moral thinking: a Neo-
Kohlbergian approach / by James Rest, Darcia Narvaez, Muriel J. Bebeau, Stephen J. Thoma.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8058-3285-8 (hardcover: alk. paper).
1. Moral development. 2. Kohlberg, Lawrence, I. Rest, James R. II. Narvaez, Darcia. III. Bebeau, Muriel J. IV. Thoma, Stephen J.
BF723.M54P675 1999
155.2'5dc21 98-43690
CIP
Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on acid-free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and
durability.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Page v
Contents
Preface vii
1 1
Overview of Our Neo-Kohlbergian Approach
2 9
Psychological and Philosophical Challenges to Kohlberg's
Approach
3 35
A Neo-Kohlbergian Approach Based on the DIT
4 59
Validity and Reliability Studies of the DIT
5 99
New Issues, New Theory, New Findings
6 135
Stages or Schemas?
7 145
Integrating With the Domain Approach
8 167
Integrating With the Cultural Psychology Approach
9 181
Summary
Appendix A: The ATHRI 187
Appendix B: Services and Materials Available From the 191
Minnesota Center
References 193
Author index 219
Subject index 227
About the Authors 229
Page vii
Preface
For decades, Lawrence Kohlberg provided major ideas for
psychological research in morality. Yet these days some critics regard
his work as outmoded, beyond repair, and too faulty for anybody to
take seriously. These critics suggest that research would advance more
profitably by taking a different approach. In this book, we
acknowledge particular philosophical and psychological problems
with Kohlberg's theory and methodology, but propose a reformulation,
as a "neo-Kohlbergian" approach. Employing core ideas from
Kohlberg's theory and method, research with the Defining Issues Test
(hereafter, the DIT) has produced a large body of findingsreported by
hundreds of researchersattesting to the fruitfulness of his ideas.
In the first chapter, we briefly give an overview of what we mean by a
neo-Kohlbergian approach. Then, in chapter 2, we discuss major
criticisms of Kohlberg's approach made over the past 25 years by
psychologists and philosophers. We group the criticisms under four
headings:
1. Psychological: Criticisms from psychologists that require changes
in both method and theory.
2. Philosophical: Criticisms from moral philosophers on Kohlberg's
formalist, deontological normative theory.
3. Limits: Criticisms that Kohlberg's approach didn't cover aspects of
the psychology of morality.
4. Unwarranted: Criticisms that we think are mistaken, not requiring
any change in a Kohlbergian approach.
With these criticisms in mind, our theoretical reformulation into a
neo-Kohlbergian approach is presented in chapter 3. Our theoretical
solutions in chapter 3 are empirically reviewed in chapter 4,
presenting data gathered over the past 25 years on the validity and
reliability of the DIT. Other, independent researchers have also
produced remarkably consistent validity findingswe cite over 400
published reports on the DIT. In Chapter 5, we summarize new
questions that DIT research has addressed, new theoretical
formulations that we have advanced, and some of the findings of this
Page viii
ongoing enterprise. In chapter 6, we discuss the relation of DIT
research to American cognitive psychologyin particular, to schema
theory in social cognitionand our reconceptualization of how the DIT
works. In sum, chapters 3 through 6 focus on the DIT; and, of these,
chapter 4 focuses on validity evidence of the DIT.
Chapters 7 and 8 attempt to integrate our neo-Kohlbergian approach
with two alternative approaches: Turiel's domain theory and
Shweder's cultural psychology approach. Chapter 9 summarizes the
major points of the book. Readers who want to know where this book
is headed may want to read the first and last chapters before reading
the others.
This book is intended to give a coherent theoretical overview for
hundreds of studies that have used the DIT. We propose
reformulations in the underlying psychological and philosophical
theories. This book attempts to pull together the analysis of criticisms
of a Kohlbergian approach, a rationale for DIT research, new
theoretical ideas, and new researchdoing this theoretical work while
simultaneously reviewing the existing body of DIT research. The
logical flow of the book can be glimpsed from the major questions
that each chapter considers:
Chapter 1: What is our neo-Kohlbergian approach (briefly)?
Chapter 2: What are the problems with the "classic" Kohlbergian
approach?
Chapter 3: How can we deal with these problems in DIT research?
Chapter 4: What is the validity of the DIT?
Chapter 5: What new lines of research has the DIT fostered?
Chapter 6: How does schema theory help?
Chapter 7: How can our neo-Kohlbergian approach be integrated with
Domain theory?
Chapter 8: How can our neo-Kohlbergian approach be integrated with
cultural psychology?
Chapter 9: Summary of major supporting arguments.
DIT research has flourished because it can be easily used by others
who independently frame their research questions, collect data, and
contribute to the research enterprise. Our thanks to the many
researchers who have used the DIT, shared their findings with us, and
contributed to this literature. We thank especially the following
researchers for use of their data in this book: DeWitt Baldwin, Mark
Davison, Deborah Deemer, Laura Duckett, Jean Evens, Irene Getz,
Steve McNeel, William Penn, Donnie Self, and Muriel Ryden.
Writing this book has been a community project, involving many
people who responded to many drafts. We wish every scholar could
have the kind of feedback and encouragement that we have had. Many
times, on many
Page ix
points, we were persuaded to change direction. Of course, we still
might not have things right, and no one else is to blame. Nevertheless,
with thanks, we merely list those who gave us significant feedback:
Judy Andre, Mary Lou Arnold, Mary Brabeck, Marvin Berkowitz,
Augusto Blasi, Dwight Boyd, Deborah Deemer, Lynn Edwards, John
Gibbs, Uwe Gielen, Lisa Kuhmerker, Orlando Lourenco,
* Larry Nucci, Michael Pritchard, Bill Puka, Donald Reed, John
Snarey, John Sullivan, Laura Lee (Dolly) Swisher, Lawrence Walker,
Members of the Moral Cognition Research group at the University of
Minnesota and Members of the Bioethics Reading Group, Affiliates of
the Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota: Mila Aroskar, Bill
Doherty, Laura Duckett, Jeffrey Kahn, and Susan Wolf. Also, thanks
to Christyan Mitchell, who provided help with the formidable job of
compiling references, and who has been "running the shop" of the
DIT Scoring Service at the center in recent years.
It is no coincidence that the first and last words of this text are
"Lawrence Kohlberg." He died over 10 years ago, but his significance
to the field of moral psychology endures.