Kohlberg theory of moral development

What is moral development? And how does it actually work? This question remained unsolved for ages. Do
children develop the same morality no matter who their parents are? Or do they play a critical role shaping
the morality of their children.

Well, moral development is basically the process by which people develop the distinct between what is
good and what is bad, or what is right and what is wrong, and engage in reasoning between the two.

Lawrence Kohlberg developed one of the greatest theories considering moral development, his theory stats
that moral development is a process that occurs throughout lifetime, and it consists of six stages within three
levels, at each level there are two stages. Kohlberg believed not everyone progresses to the highest stages of
moral development.

Level one is called Pre-conventional Morality; it lasts until the age of 9. At this level, children’s behaviors are
influenced by the expectations of adults and the consequences of breaking the rules. This level consists of two
stages; obedience and punishment, which means that rules are fixed and absolute. Individualism and
Exchange, which refers to the judging of actions according to individual needs.

Level two, Conventional Morality; this level of moral development is shaped by the acceptance of social rules
regarding what is good and moral. During this level, they learn from society and the acceptance of authority.
The two stages in this level are Developing Good Interpersonal Relationships, and it’s basically means
conforming, being nice, and building relationships with others. Plus Maintaining Social Order, referring to the
respect of authority.

The last level which is Post-conventional Morality, it happens when people develop an understanding of
abstract principles of morality. The two stages of this level are Social Contract and Individual Rights,
considering individual rights. And the sixth and the final stage is Universal Principles which declares to follow
internalized principles of justice even if they conflict with laws and rules.

While Kohlberg theory is considered to be one of the best theories of moral development, many of which
suggest that is may be based on the limited demographics of the subjects studied, and a lot of factors can
shape the development of these morals, like culture for example, which influence different moral impacts that
Kohlberg’s theory does not put into account. Furthermore, they suggest that moral reasoning does not equal
moral behavior, and that there is a difference between what we ought to do and our actual actions.