Do you know what they really mean?Do you understand the difference between autonomy and heteronomy? That’s what we want to talk to you about today.
Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist and educator who studied in depth the issue of moral judgment in children, developed, dare I say, like no one else, the concepts and the difference between autonomy and heteronomy, concepts that refer to how a person learns. and applies social norms. According to him, this ethical evolution is closely linked to the development of intelligence and must lead us from a state of moral dependence on others to a state of independence.
- According to Piaget.
- When a child is born.
- Doesn’t he have enough brain development to understand the concepts of “good”?Is that bad? This phase is called “anomia”.
- That is.
- There is no moral conscience or anything like that.
- The baby simply acts according to his needs.
- No matter what he or she is doing affects others.
- Except when he or she is trying to get a specific reaction.
“The best government is the one that teaches us to govern ourselves. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-
As the child grows up, becomes aware of the moral value of his actions, his parents, teachers and all authority figures are responsible for instiling these values in children, the little one acts on what these people approve or disapprove of, this is called heteronomy.
Subsequently, when the child completes the process of brain development, a new stage of development appears that is evolving and gradually gains ethical and moral autonomy, that is, the child learns to act according to what dictates his own consciousness. , and that’s where the difference between autonomy and heteronomy lies.
From Piaget’s perspective, the concept of?Rule? It evolves according to moral development. The rule is the mandate that initially seeks to implement positive behavior for an individual and/or a human group, it is more legitimate (universal) when it aims to avoid conflict, promote growth, respect and, above all, justice. valid to differentiate these rules from destructive rules.
What exists in principle is a “rule of conduct. “This is characterized by attachment to basic instructions. The adult intervenes directly or physically to achieve this. An example is when the child goes to a dangerous place and the adult intervenes to prevent it.
What follows is the “coercive rule. ” This corresponds to the early years of childhood, at this stage the child follows the norm simply because an adult imposes it, it does not come to mind to question himself, for what an adult dictates in the field of morality is practically sacred. For the child, not meeting a standard, however absurd, is a mistake to follow the punishment. This is the stage of heteronomy.
Then the “rational rule” appears. This is not dictated by another person, but by the individual himself agrees with others. In this case, there is an awareness of the value of the standard being met. If the rule or standard is irrational, the individual has the ability not to. to comply, because it acts autonomously and not according to an authority. Obedience is no longer unconditional.
For those who have stayed in the heteronomy stage, the good thing is what most do, in line with an authority, the individual thinks that if it is in force it is because he is right, he does not observe the content of a morality. standard, but publishes it. This applies not only to children, but also to adults. This explains why many individuals and societies can act against themselves according to a standard.
When one is in a position of heteronomy, a decisive moral factor is also not analyzed: the intention, the only objective is the result of the behavior, not its cause or motivation, Piaget asked a group of children to judge two actions: in one, a child had spilled ink on a tablecloth, without intent, but the stain was gigantic; in the other, one child had intentionally spilled a drop of paint; as for who had done the worst, the children said it was the one that caused the biggest stain.
One of the characteristics of heteronomy is exactly the following: rigidity, no intentions, contexts and motives are analyzed, the only thing that can be observed is the degree of compliance with the standard, this is what many adults do when they are unfaithful or non-compliance with a goal or in relation to any transgressive behavior.
In autonomy, however, intent is a decisive factor, as is justice. If a behavior goes against the rules but promotes justice, it can be considered valid. Morality is seen as all that promotes equity, cooperation and respect for others. Whether or not you are enshrined in the standards of others, it ranks second. In this sense, we would certainly build better societies if we evolved on the basis of the development of individual autonomy.
We hope that it has been possible to convey a little the difference between autonomy and heteronomy, and on how these two concepts are present in our daily lives and in our society.