Moral Education: Theory and Application

First published in 1985. Kohlberg and his colleagues claimed that all one need do in moral education is change the stage or structure of an individual's moral reasoning, and changes in moral behavior, ego and personality style would occur. As moral education entered the 1980s, many important problems remained. The question of the legitimacy of the highest stage is still being considered. The problem of the relationship between judgment and action is receiving much attention and reformulation as well. The role of affect in moral functioning has been sorely overlooked until very recently. A further issue is the implication of the particular realm of one's life (family, school, peer group, workplace, church) for the form and effectiveness of moral education. Finally, how can self-acknowledged moral transgressions in typical individuals be incorporated into the theory? This volume reflects these problems.