To follow up our discussion
from Thursday regarding the moral development of teenagers, I thought I’d post
a few more thoughts about the Amish teens since we didn’t get too much time to
talk about them.
I think a good place to start
is with the role religion plays in the lives of adolescents. As a time for
figuring out one’s identity (whatever that may mean) religion is something that
teens find themselves thinking about. Sometimes it is a matter of becoming more
engaged with their religion, and other times it’s a matter of either
experimenting with a new one or just giving up on it in general. In a way, I
think this illustrates Marcia’s theories of identity foreclosure to identity
achievement. The Amish teens, during Rumspringa experience this phase in which
they are to decide whether or not to accept and conform to the lifestyle
they’ve always known or to deviate it from it. I wonder how we can we tie the
way in which we develop morally (from Kohlberg’s theories) to the way
adolescents engage with religion. I believe Kohlberg does mention that religion
shapes the ways in which moral thinking develops, but I wonder to what extent
and what other factors influence this phase during adolescence.
Sonam, I think that you are absolutely right in that religion plays a large role in the lives of adolescents. It is definitely a topic that has not been discussed much in class, and most likely is a largely contributing factor to the way that teenagers behave, (particularly in religious families). Upon rereading some of Kohlberg's theories, it does become evident that he does not place too much emphasis on religion at all, other than referring to stage one thinkers as obeying the laws because they were passed down by god or another authority. Coming from someone who was raised catholic, I have always used ideas and concepts from the bible as a means of decision making when forced with many difficult situations. Here's the interesting part. After being confirmed into the church in grade 8, I completely turned my back on religion and still continue to disagree many concepts of the church. However, I find that on a day to day basis I still subconsciously refer to ideas and morals within the bible as a means of decision making. Why then, are these ideas still instilled in my mind long after I have lost faith in the church? I feel that it is because of some sort of mental engraving so to speak during my years of development. Therefore, I feel that whether or not one is religious, if he or she was raised religiously, that those ideas and morals will stay with you for the remainder of your life, due to some sort of religion aspect of development which Kohlberg has completely overlooked. This is definitely an important aspect of development to me, one that perhaps should be discussed further throughout the course.
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