Character Development Isn't Easy

HOW CAN PEOPLE IMPROVE THEIR MORAL REASONING?

There are several ways to develop our moral reasoning.

1. First, we can put ourselves in an imagined difficult moral dilemma (scenario) and determine which of the options we would choose.
2. But, more importantly, after we work through a scenario we need to think deeply about why we chose the option we chose. At the "core" of every moral decision lies a "basis" for that decision. We don't often think that deeply, but the basis of our decision can be as simple as: The Golden Rule, respect for others, fairness, faith, truth, etc. Understanding this can be of great value to improving our moral reasoning.

   When we ask a child, "Why did you choose that answer?" a "teachable moment" begins. This is a short time period in which you can gently challenge the answers that children give with specific questions. As you 'peel back' their answers and get deeper into the "why," child can come to better understand their own reasoning. There is significant value in this.

   The adult guides that come with each Life's Building Blocks product have these questions prepared for you to ask. When doing this effectively, we have to make sure are not judging their answer to be wrong. This will close the window of the teachable moment very quickly. Rather, we need to help our children come to see for themselves which are the better and worse answers. That way, they will learn how to pass their own moral judgments.

3. We need to understand that there are higher and lower levels of moral reasoning. At the lowest level, the youngest child often decides by looking at self-satisfaction (egocentric reasoning). At higher levels, an older child may base his or her decisions on obligations to others, individual rights, and the agreements of society. At the highest level (ethical principles), adults may be do the right thing just because it's right, based on universal principles.

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