What If
Through the process of growth and development, individuals tend to acquire their values and morals regardless of the positive or negative forces from outside. There are several factors that might influence the kind of morals and values that an individual comes up with; however, an individual’s interests, will, and needs leads to a different upbringing or mental orientation. According to Social Learning Theory, individuals adapt to specific characteristics and social behaviors following the kind of interaction that they have with others. It is, therefore, according to this scientifically proven theory, contradicting to explain how two individuals, for instance, can be brought up under similar conditions and they end up having different morals, for example, one becomes a criminal. The key aim of this paper is to explain the difference in character, values vividly, and morals between two individuals brought up under the same conditions and times and ending up with different personalities.
Lind (2017), in his study, explains the meaning of cognitive development as well as cognitive development theory. According to his research, cognitive development is the process by which the entire thought process which includes problem-solving skills, remembering, decision making, and general social learning grows from young age to adolescent and finally to adulthood. Through this, Lind explains that different individuals, regardless of similar external conditions, tend to have a different rate of cognitive development and a varying degree of social learning thus molding different characters in every single person. The social learning theory dictates that individuals tend to learn from their peers and the people and environment they interact with the most. The kind of learning, however, might differ from a person to another due to the difference in the cognitive development of each person which instill different values and morals in the person. This explains why children brought up under the same conditions with the same parents and friends end up with different characters, for instance, one becoming a criminal and the other one does not.
According to a social research conducted by Akers (2017), any individual with a positive and encouraging self-image, grasped the concept of moral values, believes in the idea of parenting and discipline, and pays attention to his or her elders, for instance, the neighbors and teachers, is able to resist the inducement of immoral values and crime. This study contradicted the social learning theory and fully complemented the social control theory which states that individual’s relationships, values, commitment, norms, decision-making skills, and beliefs support them in not breaking the law. Thus, if the moral codes are well grasped and people are tied into and have a chance in their wider society, they will freely limit their urge to commit unaccepted deviant acts. This, however, differs from one individual to the other as there is a difference in the degree with which individuals grasp the values, commitment, norms, decision-making skills, and beliefs of a community or as expected. This, therefore, explains why there might be a difference in behavior between individuals brought up with the same parents, have the same friends, and are exposed to similar conditions.
From the above study, it is thus, just to conclude that even though conditions of upbringing might be similar, there are factors that will internally influence an individual to form his or her moral values and norms. Factors like cognitive development which influences decision making differs from a person to another, thus bringing out the difference in social learning and ethical values among the individuals.
References
Akers, R. (2017). Social learning, morality, and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance. Routledge.
Lind, G. (2017). The theory of moral-cognitive development a socio-psychological assessment. In Moral Judgments and Social Education (pp. 25-48). Routledge.