Comparing Stage and Domain Theories of Moral Development in Explaining Cyberbullying

Zihan Feng

doi:10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT28866

Communications in Humanities ResearchOpen access

Comparing Stage and Domain Theories of Moral Development in Explaining Cyberbullying

Research Article

Open Access

Comparing Stage and Domain Theories of Moral Development in Explaining Cyberbullying

Zihan Feng ^1*

¹ National University of Singapore

^*Corresponding author: E1249411@u.nus.edu

Published on 5 November 2025

CHR Vol.95

ISSN (Print): 2753-7072

ISSN (Online): 2753-7064

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-509-7

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-510-3

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Abstract

Cyberbullying is becoming a growing concern among teenagers. The negative impact of cyberbullying on teenagers includes deteriorating mental health, broken friendships, and decreased academic success. As more social interaction occurs online, it becomes significant to understand how young people make moral judgments in digital environments. Most studies so far focus on behavioral and emotional factors of cyberbullying. Only a few studies examine how moral development theories explain these behaviors. This review fills this gap by comparing major moral development theories, including Piaget’s stages, Kohlberg’s six-stage model, and social domain theory. It also examines how each framework explains cyberbullying. Stage theories describe the development of moral reasoning over time. In contrast, social domain theory offers a more detailed understanding of how adolescents navigate moral dilemmas online. Both theories together help explain how complex moral behavior can be in online spaces. Future research should combine the strengths of both theories and include cross-cultural perspectives.

Keywords:

cyberbullying, Kohlberg, moral development, Piaget, social domain theory.

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References

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References

[1]. Bansal, S., Garg, N., Singh, J., and Van, F. (2024). Cyberbullying and mental health: Past, present, and future. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(1279234). https: //doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1279234

[6]. Carpendale, J. I. M. (2009). Piaget’s theory of moral development. In The Cambridge Companion to Piaget (pp. 270–286). https: //doi.org/10.1017/ccol9780521898584.012

[8]. Kohlberg, L. (1981). The philosophy of moral development: Moral stages and the idea of justice. Harper & Row.

[9]. Smetana, J. (2013). Moral development. In The Oxford handbook of developmental psychology, Vol. 1 (pp. 831–864). https: //doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199958450.013.0029

[10]. Turiel, E. (1983). The development of social knowledge: Morality and convention. Cambridge University Press.

[11]. Chakraborty, S., Bhattacherjee, A., and Onuchowska, A. (2021). Cyberbullying: A review of the literature. SSRN Electronic Journal.

Cite this article

Feng,Z. (2025). Comparing Stage and Domain Theories of Moral Development in Explaining Cyberbullying. Communications in Humanities Research,95,60-65.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume title: Proceeding of ICIHCS 2025 Symposium: The Dialogue Between Tradition and Innovation in Language Learning

ISBN: 978-1-80590-509-7(Print) / 978-1-80590-510-3(Online)

Editor: Enrique Mallen, Heidi Gregory-Mina

Conference website: https://2025.icihcs.org/

Conference date: 17 November 2025

Series: Communications in Humanities Research

Volume number: Vol.95

ISSN: 2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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