The reasons behind terrorism are well documented in threats issued and credit taken for attacks by terrorists, but the question of what leads an individual to turn against another in a manner so violent remains unknown. Terrorism remains a scourge to a majority of governments in the world. Acts of terrorism are responsible for the loss of innocent lives and fear among those who survive. In America, attacks such as those of 9/11 remain etched in everyone’s mind. To better understand why terrorists, do what they do, and what leads them there, it is essential that we delve deep into their moral reasoning and childhood upbringing.
When it comes to the question of why human beings do what they do, issues about morals and how they affect one’s decisions are brought up. The society we live in has classified to great lengths what is right and wrong. however, crimes are still committed, and laws are broken (Lumen, 2017). Kohlberg in his theory of moral development believed that just like cognitive development, moral development was a process that took place in stages.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In his theory, Kohlberg lays out three levels of development which are further subdivided into six stages. When developing this theory, Kohlberg analyzed answers to moral dilemmas given by subjects in all age groups (Lumen, 2017). Using these answers, he was then able to determine the stage of moral development that a particular subject was in.
The levels of development according to Kohlberg’s theory are as follows: the Pre-Conventional Level, the Conventional Level, and the Post-Conventional or Principled Level. Each level is then divided into two stages. The Pre-Conventional Level includes the first stage, the orientation of obedience and punishment and the second stage, the orientation of instrumental purpose. The Conventional Level comprises the third stage, which is the morality of interpersonal co-operation and the fourth stage, the orientation of maintaining social order. The Post-Conventional Level consists of the fifth stage, the orientation of social contract and the sixth stage, the orientation of universal ethical principle (Oswalt, 2010). Individuals progress from pre-conventional morality before the age of 9 to conventional morality at early adolescence before eventually attaining post-conventional morality.
Ma (2013) explains what happens at each of the first three stages well. In Stage 1, a subject is attached to the parents and will show empathy towards people that matter and obedience to authority. In Stage 2, the subject begins to be self-protective, opportunistic and obedience is earned through rewards; and Stage 3, the group mentality kicks in, and the subject sacrifices it all for the group. Using Kohlberg’s theory, the terrorist behaviour may be explained to great lengths.
Being that majority of terrorists come from Islamic countries or have an Islamic background, this essay will use them as the main example. According to Kurcina (2017), Islamic terrorists are brought within a society that internalizes authority without question. Children derive reasoning from the standards set by the group to which they belong. These children are brought up in a society that does not distinguish between itself and others. Anyone who does not subscribe to their way of thinking is dehumanized and devalued. The evidence is in the way they abuse their women and kill homosexuals.
Trainers are even known to train young boys to kill which they treat with so much delight when they do it. The society these individuals that eventually become terrorists teaches them to perceive themselves as supreme over others. They do not tolerate any opinions that are different from theirs (Kurcina, 2017). As they grow up deviating from these beliefs becomes difficult.
Oswalt (2010) states that Kohlberg believed that most youths by early adolescence have already reached the Conventional Level of moral reasoning. This level is characterized by moral reasoning based on social norms. However, these norms only serve the best interests of the group but not that of an individual. At stage 3 of this level, any decisions made on moral grounds depend on how an individual is judged by other dominant group members. Young people at this stage will make moral decisions to look good and win people’s approval. This would explain why most terrorists are young people or began carrying out terrorist attacks when young.
Moral decisions can also be gender-based. Most males are likely to move past the fourth stage of moral development compared to women (Kohlberg, 1969). This difference in moral decision making is because women will focus more on interpersonal relationships (Gilligan, 1982). This is the reason why most terrorists are men. For women, destroying lives leads to loss of families.
In conclusion, the moral development plays a crucial role in molding human beings into what they become eventually. The experiences they have as children ultimately influence how they deal with moral dilemmas. Reasons, why terrorists choose to carry out their attacks are not enough to explain why they behave as they do. A history of violent upbringing and social norms seem to play a significant role in the lives of most terrorists. They do not only to choose to attack America or any other country because they have realized how much they hate them but also decide to attack because that is what they were taught. They were taught to hate anyone who does not share their common ideology, and for this reason, they grow up believing that terrorism is the only way to deal with those that do not subscribe to their beliefs.
References
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development . Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Kohlberg, L. (1969). Stage and sequence: The cognitive development approach to socialization. Handbook of socialization theory , 347-480.
Kurcina, M. (2017). Creating Jobs Will End Terrorism, Right? A Quick Peek Into Moral Development Theories . Retrieved 9 December 2017, from https://spotterup.com/creating-jobs-will-end-terrorism-right-a-quick-peek-into-moral-development-theories/
Ma H.K. (2013). The Moral Development of the Child: An Integrated Model. Frontiers in Public Health , 1(57). DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2013.00057
Oswalt A. (2010). Kohlberg's Theory Of Moral Development. Child Development Theory: Adolescence . Retrieved 9 December 2017, from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/kohlberg-s-theory-of-moral-development/
Lumen,. (2017). Theory of Moral Development Lifespan Theories: Moral Development. Lumen. Retrieved 9 December 2017, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wsu-sandbox/chapter/lifespan-theories/#Figure_09_03_KohlStage
