Final answer:
Morality refers to the standards of behavior that emerge from an individual's understanding of right and wrong, shaped by societal influences and ethical theories. Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development illustrates this evolution through different life stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Morality and Moral Development
The term that refers to standards of behavior developed as a result of one's concept of right or wrong is morality. Morality is closely associated with the process of moral development, which is how individuals develop and internalize a set of ethical principles that guide their actions and judgments. This concept is an integral part of normative ethics, which is concerned with setting norms and standards for moral conduct.
Throughout different stages in life, starting from childhood, individuals pass through different levels of moral understanding. According to Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development, these begin with conventional stages, manifested in young children, and extend to conventional and post-conventional stages, observed in teens and adults. As people grow and interact with their society, their moral reasoning evolves from a basic sense of what is good and bad to a more complex understanding of ethical principles and the difference between legality and morality.
Societal influences profoundly shape our moral outlook. Normative ethical theories, social interactions, cultural norms, and laws are all constituents in the fabric of morality. As individuals, we develop our sense of right and wrong over time, and this development is influenced by a myriad of factors including culture, social institutions, and individual experiences.