Question

For this question answer by:

1: What you would do in this situation.

2: Why you would make that choice.

3: Which of Kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning your choice represents?

You are walking across a tall bridge with your 5-year-old child. The child slips off the edge and starts to fall, you dive and grab them but you are slipped over the edge as well. Your only choices are to go over the edge with your child or let go of the child to save yourself.

What will you do?

Answer 1

Answer 1: In this situation, I would go over the edge with my child.

Answer 2: I would make that choice because he would be my child and I would give a try to save him, even if I get into danger myself rather that just giving up and not trying as that would put me into a moral guilt forever thinking that I gave up on my child for my selfish interest.

Answer 3: My choice represents stage 3 of good intentions as determined by social consensus.
In this stage, the self enters society by conforming to social standards. Individuals are receptive to approval or disapproval from others as it reflects society's views. They try to be a "good boy" or "good girl" to live up to these expectation  having learned that being regarded as good benefits the self. Stage three reasoning may judge the morality of an action by evaluating its consequences in terms of a person's relationships, which now begin to include things like respect, gratitude, and the "golden rule".

The societal moral view is that every parent would protect his/her child. Hence, to be categorized as a good parent my moral obligation is to save my child before thinking about myself.