Kohlberg's theory proposes that there are three levels of moral development, with each level

split into two stages. Kohlberg suggested that people move through these stages in a fixed
order, and that moral understanding is linked to cognitive development. The three levels of
moral reasoning include preconventional, conventional, and postconventional. By using
children's responses to a series of moral dilemmas, Kohlberg established that the reasoning
behind the decision was a greater indication of moral development than the actual answer.

Example:

One of the best known of Kohlberg’s (1958) stories concerns a man called Heinz who lived
somewhere in Europe. Heinz’s wife was dying from a particular type of cancer. Doctors said a
new drug might save her. The drug had been discovered by a local chemist, and the Heinz tried
desperately to buy some, but the chemist was charging ten times the money it cost to make the
drug, and this was much more than the Heinz could afford.

Heinz could only raise half the money, even after help from family and friends. He explained to
the chemist that his wife was dying and asked if he could have the drug cheaper or pay the rest
of the money later.

The chemist refused, saying that he had discovered the drug and was going to make money
from it. The husband was desperate to save his wife, so later that night he broke into the
chemist’s and stole the drug.

1. Should Heinz have stolen the drug?

2. Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?

3. What if the person dying was a stranger, would it make any difference?

4. Should the police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman died?

By studying the answers from children of different ages to these questions, Kohlberg hoped to
discover how moral reasoning changed as people grew older. The sample comprised 72
Chicago boys aged 10–16 years, 58 of whom were followed up at three-yearly intervals for 20
years (Kohlberg, 1984).
Each boy was given a 2-hour interview based on the ten dilemmas. What Kohlberg was mainly
interested in was not whether the boys judged the action right or wrong, but the reasons given
for the decision. He found that these reasons tended to change as the children got older.

Kohlberg identified three distinct levels of moral reasoning: preconventional, conventional, and
postconventional.

People can only pass through these levels in the order listed. Each new stage replaces the
reasoning typical of the earlier stage. Not everyone achieves all the stages.

Level 1: Preconventional Morality

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 Morality

A majority of adolescents and adults fall into the middle level of conventional morality. At this
level, people start to internalize moral standards but not necessarily to question them. These
standards are based on the social norms of the groups a person is part of.

Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships. Morality arises from living up to the standards of a
given group, such as one's family or community, and being a good group member.

Stage 4: Maintaining the Social Order. The individual becomes more aware of the rules of
society on a broader scale. As a result, they become concerned with obeying laws and
maintaining the social order.

Level 3: Postconventional Morality

If individuals reach the highest level of moral development, they start to question if what they
see around them is good. In this case, morality stems from self-defined principles. Kohlberg
suggested that only 10-15% of the population was able to achieve this level because of the
abstract reasoning it required.

Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights. Society should function as a social contract
where the goal of each individual is to improve society as a whole. In this context, morality and
individual rights like life and liberty may take precedence over specific laws.

Stage 6: Universal Principles. People develop their own principles of morality even if they
conflict with society’s laws. These principles must be applied to every individual equally.