Children go through a series of phases in their moral development that will be decisive for their future social behavior.
Nor we can analyze sexual assaults that are being produced with simplistic or reductionist parameters. Social behavior is built upon a series of factors that encompass the individual, their primary environment—the family—and society. The foundation of coexistence and respect for others, therefore, begins at birth, continues in school, and is consolidated within the society in which one lives. As the psychologist says Mamen Jiménez,((https://www.bebesymas.com/desarrollo/como-cuando-distinguen-ninos-bien-mal-desarrollo-moral-peques))
"..Moral development inherently goes hand in hand with the child's cognitive development, a development that, of course, takes place within a context, with a family that educates, a school that teaches, and friends who provide guidance.
Below, I outline some aspects to consider when we talk about educate in valuesNot taking them into account in a comprehensive way when we educate future "honest citizens", as Don Bosco would say, it would be reduced to a educational model which would hardly achieve its objectives. Our proposal is a biopsychosocial modela topic so fashionable in the 90s and which has been declining as attempts are made to reduce it to individual to a simple social outcomeThis last anthropological view excludes biology as a relevant element of development. We have previously outlined, in summary, the stages of Kohlberg's moral development Although it has some shortcomings, I consider it a good model for understanding how morality is cognitively constructed in childhood and adolescence.
Kohlberg's model of moral development
Describe three stages that involve, at the same time, different forms of social response:
- Egocentric stage: before the age of nine/ten. This corresponds to pre-conventional level. The child learns that something is right or wrong based on the parents' responses: what is rewarded is considered good, and what is punished or not allowed is considered wrong. It is a heteronomous moralityIt usually lasts until seven to nine years of age. The "law or rule" they impose authority figures It is not questioned, with the child's immediate environment—family and school—being what determines what is right or wrong.
- Social stage: It typically appears around 12 or 13 years old. It is common in adolescents and some adults. It is closely related to social experiences. These experiences are fundamental during adolescence. the influences of the peer groupwhere each individual compares the values acquired during the heteronomous phase with the values of other group members. The group leader. It corresponds to conventional level
- Moral stage: post-conventional level. It is only acquired by a few adults. They question social norms that conflict with their own values. The individual decides based on the hierarchy they consider most aligned with their values, without being swayed by what may morally prevail in their environment at any given time.
The child and its psychobiological condition
- Parents will have more or less difficulty depending on the child's temperament. By Thomas and Chess((Temperament: Theory And Practice (2013)))Each child differs in one or more of the nine characteristics they propose. These are:
- Activity level (more or less hyperactive)
- Rhythmicity (regularity in biological rhythms; sleep/wake cycles, meals, etc.)
- Approach or retreat (often referred to as shyness)
- Adaptability (the ability to adapt to change)
- Response threshold (each child only reacts to a certain intensity of stimulus)
- Intensity of the reaction (Each child, when subjected to pleasant or unpleasant stimuli, reacts with different intensity)
- Quality of mood (each child's basic sense of humor is different)
- Distraction (Each child has a different capacity for controlling internal and/or external distractions).
- Attention span and persistence (They also tend to differ in their ability to maintain attention on a task and their ability to concentrate. Likewise, some children are more persistent in maintaining a task than others.)
2. The absence/presence of cognitive deficitsThis is another circumstance that can hinder moral learning. The greatest difficulty is found in children with intellectual disabilities, being grounds for non-imputability in the case of any crime. Without going to these extremes, it has been shown that the quality in the language developmentLanguage, especially in its comprehensive aspect, is fundamental. Language not only facilitates the understanding of rules, but also contributes to developing the mechanisms of abstraction from them, an aspect that facilitates their applicability to similar situations.
3. Quality of attachmentThe emotional bond that children maintain with their parents and teachers is fundamental for fostering a sound moral education. This positive, affectionate relationship tends to generate complete trust in the child, leading them to accept educational guidelines they don't understand as good for them, due to their complete trust in authority figures. A strong attachment is necessary for developing empathy and the future theory of mind, two core aspects of coexistence among peers.
The boy and his family
We understand family to the person, or group of people, who are the child's primary caregivers. The first thing we must consider is what kind of values are present in the family, since any analysis of antisocial behaviors, including disrespect for the sexual freedom of peers, begins within the family itself.
We shouldn't be surprised by disrespectful behavior towards others if a child grows up in an environment that disrespects the dignity of others. For the values taught to take root in a child, they must be accompanied by consistency on the part of parental figures. The popular saying "do as I say, not as I do" simply doesn't apply here.
Some parents are excessively permissive, just as others are excessively intolerant or rigid. Let's not forget that we are teaching the child about something they don't understand and, moreover, they lack the cognitive resources to analyze why they are being asked to do it.
Therefore, what values? And be firm and persistent in your non-permissiveness and consistent.
The child and the school
Ideally, the values taught at school should be in line with the values taught at home.
In our current society, characterized by a transmutation of traditional valuesIt is not difficult for family and school to come into conflict.
I believe that both parents and teachers are unaware of the extent to which we harm a child when we fail to harmonize the values instilled at home with those taught at school. This inconsistency regarding what is right and wrong becomes so blurred that adolescents find themselves having to create their own value system during a developmental stage characterized by the search for their own identity.
If the consistency between parents and teachers is strong, the risk and identity crisis that adolescence entails will be less, as it will be strengthened by what has been internalized during childhood in the face of the moral imbalances that may arise in the peer group.
CONCLUSION
There is a widespread belief that educating in prosocial values is enough to end violence. Nothing could be further from the truth. For violence to end, we would have to be clones, when in reality, no two individuals are alike.
However, what we could achieve is to reduce violence to situations where individuals with behavioral disorders coexist in environments of social marginalization. Let's not forget that the vast majority of people who commit serious offenses against the dignity of others are unempathetic, egocentric, and antisocial individuals. And these individuals will always be with us. The important thing is to take the necessary measures to prevent it.
