道德發展歸因論

The Attribution Theory of Moral Development

沈六(Liow Sheen)

《公民訓育學報》 10期 (2001/06) Pp. 1-28

https://doi.org/10.6231/CME.2001(10)01

摘要

人類對道德、發展的信念是以邏輯的組織連貫在一起的概念。實際上，人類會自動地將他們對道德、思想和行動的常識性觀念組合成潛意識的理論結構，心理學家就稱之為先驗心理學或常識心理學，而此心理學所採用的分析方法，就是人類在道德、衝突情境中歸因的方法，其結果被稱之為歸因論。此論提出心理機能的描述，人類就使用此種心理機能，直覺地解釋人類的道德發展。本文以例證揭露歸因論的說法，提出人格特質、社會環境影響力、和超自然的力量等三方面的因素，說明人類的道德、思考與行為。此三方面的因素以統整的方式產生互動，影響道德發展，且其發展在一生中依循生長的原則而發展。人類的常識判斷認為遵守社會的法律、宗教學說或學術理論、和習俗就是合乎道德範疇，歸因論且深信智力、懲罰、良心、和楷模是道德發展的真實力量，其發展則經歷無知、學習社會行為規則、進入理性年代、和享受權利與負擔責任等四階段，但因人類的個別差別，其發展的速度則有不同。雖然幾乎每人都依賴常識來解釋道德思考與行動，但是採用常識歸因方法，研究道德發展的學術著作為數甚為有限，所以，在許多方面，常識的歸因論無法適當地解釋道德發展的問題，學術領域也就對此理論不甚滿意，也由於不滿意，提供了探究更正式的理論之充分的刺激力。

關鍵字

歸因論 ； 常識 ； 環境影響力 ； 道德發展 ； 道德思想 ； 道德行為 ； 人格特質 ； 先驗心理學 ； 超自然的力量 ； 先驗理論

並列摘要

The beliefs of peoples' understanding of moral development are linked together in a unifying network of logic, a network seldom apparent to the people who hold the conviction. In effect, people automatically assemble their commonsense ideas about moral thought and action on a subconscious theoretical framework. A psychologist's depiction of it is called naive psychology or commonsense psychology. In essence, naive psychology involves the analysis of the ways people attribute causes in moral encounters. Thus the product of such analysis can be labeled attribution theory.The attribution theory focuses on how people, in their use of commonsense account for their own and others' moral thought and action. The concern of this study is with commonsense explanations of moral development. The components of the commonsense attribution theory include three aspects of the personality characteristics, of the social environment influences, and the unidentified and supernatural forces that commonsense explanations consider significant in accounting for how people think and act in moral situations.The personality characteristics attribute to each person who participates In a moral incident have personal power (abilities attitudes, social status, and temporary conditions), conscience (moral values), intention and motivation, and include opportunities and restrictions models of behavior rewards and punishment, take difficulty, environment coercion, situational pressures, and role prescriptions that the people believe influence moral actions.The unidentified and supernatural forces are luck chance, fate, destiny, ”it just happens” and supernatural forces: God, Satan, spirits, astrological configurations to which people appeal when they are unable to explain moral events in terms of personality properties and aspects of the environment. None of these components operates alone. Instead, the factors exert their influence by interacting in complex ways.Commonsense observations of child growth have produced six widely accepted beliefs about moral development called growth principles. The principles can influence children's understanding of moral events and can affect their ability to act in morally acceptable ways.There are three sources of the kinds of behavior that people's commonsense judgement locate in the moral domain. Behavior that conforms with the dictate of law, religious or philosophical doctrine, and custom is judged to be moral. Behavior that breaches law, doctrine, or custom is deemed immoral.From the perspective of commonsense theory, people who subscribe to a version of attribution theory are convinced that intelligence, punishment, conscience, and modeling are real things, not just products of someone's imagination in moral matters. Within the attribution theory camp, one controversial issue is the question of children's inborn moral nature. But from the viewpoint of naive psychology, the moral development is to continue throughout the life span.From a commonsense perspective, the moral development can be divided unto four stages: very little understand right from wrong, to learn rules of social behavior, to enter ”the age of reason, and to enjoy the privileges and to bear the responsibilities. In attribution theory, the personality characteristics and the seven environmental influence among individuals are considered particularly important differences in moral development.Although the attribution theory is the most popular of all moral-development theory, since nearly everyone depends on common sense for interpreting people's moral thought and action, there is a quite limit number of academics in particular who subscribe to commonsense views of moral development. In many ways, common sense fails to answer moral development questions adequately, so it is discontented with naive theory. This discontent serves as a sufficient stimulus for learning what more formal theories.

並列關鍵字

attribution theory ； common sense ； environment ； moral behavior ； moral development ； moral thought ； personality ； naive psychology ； naive theory ； supernatural forces