Education, Society, & the K-12 Learner

Part II: Educational Psychology

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Kolhberg’s theory of moral development states that we progress
through three levels of moral thinking that build on our cognitive
development.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Summarize Kohlberg’s stages of psychosocial development

KEY POINTS

Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on the earlier work of cognitive theorist Jean

Piaget to explain the moral development of children, which he believed
follows a series of stages.

Kohlberg defined three levels of moral development: preconventional,

conventional, and postconventional. Each level has two distinct stages.

During the preconventional level, a child’s sense of morality is externally

controlled. Children accept and believe the rules of authority figures, such
as parents and teachers, and they judge an action based on its
consequences.

During the conventional level, an individual’s sense of morality is tied to

personal and societal relationships. Children continue to accept the rules of
authority figures, but this is now because they believe that this is necessary
to ensure positive relationships and societal order.

During the postconventional level, a person’s sense of morality is defined in

terms of more abstract principles and values. People now believe that some
laws are unjust and should be changed or eliminated.

Kohlberg’s theory has been criticized for its cultural and

gendered bias toward white, upper-class men and boys. It also fails to
 account for inconsistencies within moral judgments.

TERM

moralityRecognition of the distinction between good and evil or between right and
wrong; respect for and obedience to the rules of right conduct; the mental
disposition or characteristic of behaving in a manner intended to produce good
results.

FULL TEXT

Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on the earlier work of cognitive theorist Jean Piaget to
explain the moral development of children. Kohlberg believed that moral development,
like cognitive development, follows a series of stages. He used the idea of moral
dilemmas—stories that present conflicting ideas about two moral values—to teach 10 to
16 year-old boys about morality and values. The best known moral dilemma created by
Kohlberg is the “Heinz” dilemma, which discusses the idea of obeying the law versus
saving a life. Kohlberg emphasized that it is the way an individual reasons about a
dilemma that determines positive moral development.

After presenting people with various moral dilemmas, Kohlberg reviewed people’s
responses and placed them in different stages of moral reasoning. According to
Kohlberg, an individual progresses from the capacity for pre-conventional morality
(before age 9) to the capacity for conventional morality (early adolescence), and toward
attaining post-conventional morality (once Piaget’s idea of formal operational thought is
attained), which only a few fully achieve. Each level of morality contains two stages,
which provide the basis for moral development in various contexts.

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development

Kohlberg identified three levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional, and
post-conventional. Each level is associated with increasingly complex stages of moral
development.

Level 1: Preconventional

Throughout the preconventional level, a child’s sense of morality is externally controlled.

Children accept and believe the rules of authority figures, such as parents and teachers.
A child with pre-conventional morality has not yet adopted or internalized society’s
conventions regarding what is right or wrong, but instead focuses largely on external
consequences that certain actions may bring.

Stage 1: Obedience-and-Punishment Orientation

Stage 1 focuses on the child’s desire to obey rules and avoid being punished. For
example, an action is perceived as morally wrong because the perpetrator is punished;
the worse the punishment for the act is, the more “bad” the act is perceived to be.

Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation

Stage 2 expresses the “what’s in it for me?” position, in which right behavior is defined
by whatever the individual believes to be in their best interest. Stage two reasoning
shows a limited interest in the needs of others, only to the point where it might further
the individual’s own interests. As a result, concern for others is not based on loyalty
or intrinsic respect, but rather a “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” mentality.
An example would be when a child is asked by his parents to do a chore. The child asks
“what’s in it for me?” and the parents offer the child an incentive by giving him an
allowance.

Level 2: Conventional
Throughout the conventional level, a child’s sense of morality is tied to personal and
societal relationships. Children continue to accept the rules of authority figures, but this
is now due to their belief that this is necessary to ensure positive relationships and
societal order. Adherence to rules and conventions is somewhat rigid during these
stages, and a rule’s appropriateness or fairness is seldom questioned.

Stage 3: Good Boy, Nice Girl Orientation

In stage 3, children want the approval of others and act in ways to avoid disapproval.
Emphasis is placed on good behavior and people being “nice” to others.

Stage 4: Law-and-Order Orientation

In stage 4, the child blindly accepts rules and convention because of their importance in
maintaining a functioning society. Rules are seen as being the same for everyone, and
obeying rules by doing what one is “supposed” to do is seen as valuable and important.
Moral reasoning in stage four is beyond the need for individual approval exhibited in
stage three. If one person violates a law, perhaps everyone would—thus there is an
obligation and a duty to uphold laws and rules. Most active members of society remain
at stage four, where morality is still predominantly dictated by an outside force.

Level 3: Postconventional

Throughout the postconventional level, a person’s sense of morality is defined in terms

of more abstract principles and values. People now believe that some laws are unjust
and should be changed or eliminated. This level is marked by a growing realization that
individuals are separate entities from society and that individuals may disobey rules
inconsistent with their own principles. Post-conventional moralists live by their
own ethical principles—principles that typically include such basic human rights as life,
liberty, and justice—and view rules as useful but changeable mechanisms, rather than
absolute dictates that must be obeyed without question. Because post-conventional
individuals elevate their own moral evaluation of a situation over social conventions,
their behavior, especially at stage six, can sometimes be confused with that of those at
the pre-conventional level. Some theorists have speculated that many people may never
reach this level of abstract moral reasoning.

Stage 5: Social-Contract Orientation

In stage 5, the world is viewed as holding different opinions, rights, and values. Such
perspectives should be mutually respected as unique to each person or community.
Laws are regarded as social contracts rather than rigid edicts. Those that do not
promote the general welfare should be changed when necessary to meet the greatest
good for the greatest number of people. This is achieved through majority decision and
inevitable compromise. Democratic government is theoretically based on stage five
reasoning.

Stage 6: Universal-Ethical-Principal Orientation

In stage 6, moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical

principles. Generally, the chosen principles are abstract rather than concrete and focus
on ideas such as equality, dignity, or respect. Laws are valid only insofar as they are
grounded in justice, and a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey
unjust laws. People choose the ethical principles they want to follow, and if they violate
those principles, they feel guilty. In this way, the individual acts because it is morally right
to do so (and not because he or she wants to avoid punishment), it is in their best
interest, it is expected, it is legal, or it is previously agreed upon. Although Kohlberg
insisted that stage six exists, he found it difficult to identify individuals who consistently
operated at that level.

Critiques Of Kohlberg’s Theory

Kohlberg has been criticized for his assertion that women seem to be deficient in their
moral reasoning abilities when compared to men. Carol Gilligan (1982), a research
assistant of Kohlberg, criticized her former mentor’s theory because it was based so
narrowly on research using white, upper-class men and boys. She argued that women
are not deficient in their moral reasoning and instead proposed that males and females
reason differently: girls and women focus more on staying connected and
maintaining interpersonal relationships.

Kohlberg’s theory has been criticized for emphasizing justice to the exclusion of other
values, with the result that it may not adequately address the arguments of those who
value other moral aspects of actions. Similarly, critics argue that Kohlberg’s stages are
culturally biased—that the highest stages in particular reflect a westernized ideal of
justice based on individualistic thought. This is biased against those that live in non-
Western societies that place less emphasis on individualism.

Another criticism of Kohlberg’s theory is that people frequently demonstrate significant

inconsistency in their moral judgements. This often occurs in moral dilemmas involving
drinking and driving or business situations where participants have been shown to
reason at a lower developmental stage, typically using more self-interest driven
reasoning (i.e., stage two) than authority and social order obedience driven reasoning
(i.e., stage four). Critics argue that Kohlberg’s theory cannot account for such
inconsistencies.

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