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Essay on Analysis of "Values Clarification" by Howard Kirschenbaum
Values clarification is a complex system of behavioral modification involving various concepts, ideas, and applications. In the current school systems, the level of intellectual ability has decreased to the point where many high school graduates are incapable of reading, writing and performing arithmetic at any mediocre level of competence. The public schools, through mandated curricula and teaching methodology, have minimized the importance of the development of mental-thinking-cognitive skills, and instead have placed greater attention on the alteration of beliefs, values, and behaviors (Simon, Howe, Kirschenbaum, 35-46).
This book was the major influence on the acceptance and use of moral relativism by teachers in the early 1970s. As with much of modern "psychology" theories it seems to make sense, but it's application results in routine failure. Why?
Children and young people have no road-map of behavior to go by if they are not taught some simple, clearly defined, and exact code of acceptable behavior. Values clarification techniques go on and on about allowing the person to "choose for themselves", "depend on their own feelings", and "become aware of their own beliefs". But without a firm basis in some moral code, they have no clear beliefs, feelings or opinions about much of anything.
The application of these methods degrades into "what feels good", hedonism, and self-centered selfish decision-making. This type approach to "ethics" and "morality" is the perfect expression of the "me" generation where everything is judged solely with regards to what the individual gets or obtains from the moral "choice".
There is a reason for the rise of immorality, violence and crime in modern society. It has more than a little to do with the current philosophies and practices of modern moral relativism, situation ethics, and values clarification. The application of these ideas would actually be fine IF they were applied by people with a firm grounding in moral education and some clear code of acceptable behavior....
