Structured Discussion Board 1 Kohlberg Dilemma

Kohlberg Dilemma
Judy is a twelve year-old girl. Her mother promised her that she could go to a special
rock concert coming to their town if she saved up from baby-sitting and lunch money to
buy a ticket to the concert. She managed to save up the fifteen dollars the ticket cost
plus another five dollars. But then her mother changed her mind and told Judy that she
had to spend the money on new clothes for school. Judy was disappointed and decided
to go to the concert anyway. She bought a ticket and told her mother that she was
spending the day with a friend. A week passed without her mother finding out. Judy
then told her older sister, Louise, that she had gone to the performance and had lied to
her mother about it. Louise wonders whether to tell their mother what Judy did.
1. Should Louise the older sister, tell their mother that Judy had lied about the
money or should she keep quiet? Why?
2. In wondering whether to tell, Louise thinks of the fact that Judy is her sister.
Should that make a difference in Louise’s decision? Why or why not”
3. Does telling have anything to do with being a good daughter? Why or why not?
4. The mother promised Judy she could go to the concert if she earned the money.
Is the fact that the mother promised the most important thing to consider? Why
or why not?
5. What do you think is the most important thing a mother should be concerned
about in her daughter? And why is that the most important thing?
6. What is the most important thing a daughter should be concerned about in her
relationship with her mother
7. In thinking back over the dilemma, what would you say is the most responsible
thing for Louise to do in this situation?
My Post for this assignment:
I think that is the scenario that we were presented with in "The Kohlberg Dilemma" the older
sister, Louise, should not necessarily tell the mother about what the younger sister, Judy,
had done. However, if the older sister is between the ages of 13-16 years old, (which I would
say is a pretty save assumption,) then, I would also guess that the older sister is somewhere
around stage 4 of Kohlberg's theory of the stages of development.
According to our text, the fourth stage is called System Morality. Our text tells us that in this
stage, "moral judgments are based on understanding of the social order, law, justice, and
duty."
Given this information, (an some of my own past experiences as both an older sister, and a
mother,) I would guess that when Judy told Louise what she had done with her money, that
she had gone to the concert instead of buying the clothing like her mother told her she
needed to, Louise would have felt conflicted about telling her mother. I think that Louise
would have felt that it was her duty to tell her mother what her younger sister had done, but
I also think that she would not have wanted to betray her sister's trust. I think that a fair
compromise for Louise would be for her to explain to her younger sister, that the mother
will notice that Judy did not buy new clothing, and the mother will wonder where Judy's
money went. I also think that it would be very important for Louise to express to Judy how
irresponsible her decision to go to the concert truly was, and how dangerous her decision
was. I also think, (if Louise is closer to the 16 year old age,) that she should also explain to
her younger sister, that their mother will be probably be angry at Judy for what she has
done wrong, but that the mother will maintain more of her trust with Judy in the long run, if
Judy is honest with their mother.
I think that given my explanation to the first question of this dilemma, I would have to say
that yes, the fact that Louise is Judy's sister makes a difference in this situation. Louise will
have loyalties to both Judy and the mother, loyalties that Judy's friends probably won't
have. However, I do not think that, in this particular situation, weather to tell the mother or
not tell the mother, has no reflection on whether or not Louise is a good daughter. I am sure
that even if Louise chose to keep her sister's secret, and the mother later found out that
Louise knew, the mother would explain that Louise should have told her (if Judy never did)
but, as a parent, I do not see something like this making me think that I have a "bad" child-
all kids make mistakes, and as a parent, it is my job to turn those mistakes into teachers, but
those individual mistakes are not reflections of my opinion of my children.
As a mother, the thing that concerned me the most was this 12 year old girl, Judy, going to a
concert alone!! I am imagining a very busy place, crowded and lots of commotion. This
would be a great place for a child to get lost, or kidnapped. And that is not to mention, what
happens if Judy had been injured at any point in this little "adventure" of hers. She would
have been alone, and not at all prepared to help herself. I think that the fact that she is
willing to take such a risk for what she wants is also cause for concern.
I think that the most important thing for both girls in this situation to be concerned with, is
loosing the mother's trust. I think that Louise should know that the mother needs to know
what Judy has done. If for no other reason, the mother will see that Judy does not have new
clothing. However, I think that it is important for Louise to strongly encourage her sister to
be the one who tells the mother what she has done. Judy will loose some of the mother's
trust no matter how the mother finds out- at least if Judy is the one who tells her, she is
showing ownership of what she did wrong, and maturity to correct her mistakes.

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