Question

According to ______ We face a specific psychological dilemma at each stage of life.  
1. James Coleman
2. Lawrence Kohlberg
3. Eric Erickson
4. Sigmund Freud

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Lawrence Kohlberg

Lawrence Kohlberg, an American psychologist, has propounded the 'Theory of Moral Development'. He has made a systematic study of moral development in his theory that is categorized in 3 levels and 6 stages.  

• He created moral development theory by posing moral dilemmas to groups of children as well as adolescents and adults.
• According to Kohlberg, we face a specific psychological dilemma at each stage of life. The moral dilemma is the thinking process involved in judgements about questions of right & wrong.
• Kohlberg's dilemmas revolve around a person named Heinz. He is in a dilemma to choose between stealing medicine or letting his wife die.

Let's Understand the Dilemma in Brief: 

• The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost.
• He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said: “No, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.”
• So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife. Should the husband have done that?
• Kohlberg is not really interested in whether the subject says “yes” or “no” to this dilemma but in the reasoning behind the answer. 
• Kohlberg’s point of view, what the participant thinks Heinz should do is not important. The important thing is the justification of the action. 

Hence, it becomes clear that according to Kohlberg, we face a specific psychological dilemma at each stage of life.

 

• Erik Erikson, a developmental psychologist has proposed 'Theory of Psychosocial Development', in which he has covered human personality development in a series of eight stages that take place from infancy to late adulthood.
• Sigmund Freud, the propounder of 'Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality Development' has devised psychoanalytic therapy for which he has designed some techniques for dwelling out the repressed unconscious feelings of individuals.