This paper defines the concept of the dialectic and places it within the context of a well-defined methodology, i.e. that of organicism, which contrasts markedly with the logical empiricism of much contemporary psychology. The paper then points out cism the relevance of a dialectical perspective for developmental psychology in two ways. First, it summarizes and reviews three standard models of moral development (namely those proposed by Freud, G.H. Mead, and Piaget) using the definition of the dialectic developed here. Second, the paper outlines an alternative viewpoint on moralization which attempts systematically to incorporate a dialectical perspective. The paper closes by noting a final irony implicit in the study of moral development: that a viable society may need its immoralists.
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