Scribd
Upload
101 views3 pages

THE MORAL AGENT Lesson

Kohlberg's theory proposes 6 stages of moral development, grouped into 3 levels. The stages progress from obedience to authority, to social conformity, to individual principles. Level 1 involves obedience to avoid punishment. Level 2 focuses on self-interest and pleasing others. Level 3 considers universal ethical principles and justice. Most adults achieve stage 4's law and order thinking, while only 20-25% reach stage 5's democratic social contract perspective. Stage 6 is the rarest level involving individual moral principles.

Uploaded by

roselyn ayensa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
101 views3 pages

THE MORAL AGENT Lesson

Kohlberg's theory proposes 6 stages of moral development, grouped into 3 levels. The stages progress from obedience to authority, to social conformity, to individual principles. Level 1 involves obedience to avoid punishment. Level 2 focuses on self-interest and pleasing others. Level 3 considers universal ethical principles and justice. Most adults achieve stage 4's law and order thinking, while only 20-25% reach stage 5's democratic social contract perspective. Stage 6 is the rarest level involving individual moral principles.

Uploaded by

roselyn ayensa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

THE MORAL AGENT

a. Developing Virtue as Habit


a.1. Moral Character and Virtues
a.2. The Circular Relation of Acts and Character
a.3. Moral Character as Dispositions
a.4. Six Stages of Moral Development
a.5. Getting to the Highest Level, Conscience-Based Moral Decisions
 Developing Virtue as habit
 Moral Character and Virtues
 THE CIRCULAR RELATION OF ACTS AND CHARACTER

Six Stages Of Moral Development

The American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) is best known for his theory of
stages of moral development. He believed that people can only pass through these levels in the order
listed. Each new stage replaces the kind of reasoning typical of the previous stage. Some do not achieve
all the stages.

Level 1 – Pre-conventional Morality


Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation
Stage 2. Individualism and Exchange
Level 2 – Conventional Morality
Stage 3. Good Interpersonal Relationships
Stage 4. Maintaining the Social Order
Level 3 – Post Conventional Morality
Stage 5. Social Contract and Individual Rights
Stage 6. Universal Principles

GETTING TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL, CONSCIENCE-BASED MORAL DECISIONS


Another way to view Kohlberg’s stages when combined with Swiss clinical psychologist Jean
Piaget’s (1896-1980) theory of moral development is as follows:

Stage 1 – Respect for Power and Punishment


A young child (age 1-5) chooses what to do – what is right – according to what he/she
wants to do and can do without getting into trouble. In this level, to be right, one ought to be obedient to
the people in power and, thus avoid punishment. Motto: “Might makes right”.

Stage 2 – Looking out for #1


Children (age 5-10) are disposed to be egoistic or self-serving. They lack respect of
other’s rights but may give to others on the assumption that they will get as much or even more in turn.

Instead of loyalty, gratitude, or justice, the case is more a matter of ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch
yours.” Motto: “What’s in it for me?”

Stage 3 – Being a ‘Good Boy or Nice Girl’


In this stage, people (age 8-16) have shifted from pleasing themselves to pleasing
important others, usually parents, teachers, or friends. They seek to conform to some else’s expectations.
When charged of doing something wrong, their behavior is likely to be justified by stating “everyone else
is doing it” or “I didn’t intend to hurt anyone”. Motto: “I want to be nice”.

Stage 4 – Law and order thinking


Here, the majority of people (16 yrs old and older) have internalized society’s rules about
how to behave. They feel indebted to conform, no longer to just family and friends, but also to society’s
laws and customs. They realized that it is important to do one’s duty to maintain social order. Social
leaders are assumed to be right and social rules are adopted without considering the core moral principles
involved. Thus, social control in this stage is exercised through guilt associated with breaking a rule;
though the guilt in this case is an automatic emotional response, not a rational reaction of conscience
based on moral principles. In this stage, individuals believe that anyone breaking the rules deserve to be
punished and ‘pay his/her debt to society’. Motto: “I’ll do my duty”.

Stage 5 – Justice through democracy


In this stage, people understand the underlying moral purposes that are supposed to be
served by laws and social customs. When a law in democracy ceases to serve a good purpose, they thus
feel the people ought to get active and change the law. Understood in this manner, democracy is seen as a
social contract whereby everybody tries constantly to construct a set of laws that best serves most people,
while protecting the basic rights of everybody. Respect for the law and a sense of obligation to live by the
rules are present, as long as rules were established in a fair manner and fulfill a moral purpose. It is said
that only 20-25% of today’s adults ever reach this stage and most of those that do supposedly only get
there after their mid-twenties. Motto: “I’ll live by the rules or try to change them”.

Stage 6 – Deciding on basic moral principles by which you will live their life and relate to
everyone fairly
In this stage, rare people have evaluated many values and have rationally chosen a philosophy of
life that truly guides their life. Morally developed, they do not automatically conform to tradition or
others’ beliefs, and even to their own emotions, intuition, or impulsive notions about right and wrong. In
stage 6, individuals judiciously elect fundamental principles to follow, such as caring for and respecting
every living thing, feeling that people are all equal and thus deserve equal opportunities, or subscribing to
the Golden Rule. They are tough enough to act on their values even if others may think they are odd or if
their beliefs are against man’s law, such as refusing to fight in a war. Social control is exercised thru guilt
associated with the rational reaction of conscience based on moral principles. Reaching this stage is thus
seen, at least in Kohlberg and Piaget’s theories, as to the highest level, conscience-based moral decisions.
Summary of Kohlberg’s theory:

You might also like