Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral

Development
MUST BE INCORPORATED INTO YOUR TIMELINE.
 Lawrence Kohlberg

• Author of a three-stage theory on how moral reasoning

develops
• Moral reasoning is the aspect of cognitive development that
has to do with the way an individual reasons about moral
decisions
 Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development
• Assessed moral reasoning by posing hypothetical moral dilemmas and
examining the reasoning behind people’s answers
• Proposed three distinct levels of moral reasoning: preconventional,
conventional, and postconventional
• Each level is based on the degree to which a person conforms to
conventional standards of society
• Each level has two stages that represent different degrees of
sophistication in moral reasoning.
 Kohlberg’s Moral Dilemma
• In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one
drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist
in the same town had recently discovered. the drug was expensive to make, but the
druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $400 for
the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's
husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every
legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000, which is half of what it
cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or
let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to
make money from it." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets desperate and
considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.
• Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not?
• Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?
• What if the person dying was a stranger,would it make any difference?
• Should the police arrest the chemist for muder if the woman died?
 Levels of Moral Reasoning
• Preconventional—moral reasoning is based on
external rewards and punishments
• Conventional—laws and rules are upheld simply
because they are laws and rules
• Postconventional—reasoning based on personal
moral standards
 1. Preconventional Moral
Reasoning
• Characterized by the desire to avoid
punishment or gain reward
• Typically children under the age of 10
 2. Conventional Moral
Reasoning
• Primary concern is to fit in and play
the role of a good citizen
• People have a strong desire to follow
the rules and laws.
• Typical of most adults
 3. Postconventional Moral
Reasoning
• Characterized by references to
universal ethical principles that
represent protecting the rights or of
all people
• Most adults do not reach this level.
Preconventional Moral
Reasoning
Stages 1 & 2
Stage 1: Punishment & Obedience
• A focus on direct consequences
• Negative actions will result in
punishments
.
 Stage 2: Mutual Benefit
• Getting what one wants often requires giving
something up in return
• “Right” is a fair exchange.
• Morals guided by what is “fair”
Conventional Moral
Reasoning
Stages 3 & 4
Stage 3: Interpersonal Expectations

• An attempt to live up to the expectations of important

others
• Follow rules or do what others would want so that
you win their approval
• Negative actions will harm those relationships
 Stage 4: Law-and-Order
• To maintain social order, people must
resist personal pressures and follow the
laws of the larger society
• Respect the laws & authority
Postconventional Moral
Reasoning
Stages 5 & 6
 Stage 5: Legal Principles
• Must protect the basic rights of all people by
upholding the legal principles of fairness, justice,
equality & democracy.
• Laws that fail to promote general welfare or that
violate ethical principles can be changed,
reinterpreted, or abandoned
 Stage 6: Universal Moral Principles
• Self-chosen ethical principles
• Profound respect for sanctity of human life, nonviolence, equality
& human dignity
• Moral principles take precedence over laws that might conflict
with them,
• Conscientious objectors – refuses to be drafted because they are
morally opposed to war.
 Criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory
• Research has not supported Kohlberg’s belief that the
development of abstract thinking in adolescence invariably leads
people to the formation of idealistic moral principles
• Some cross-cultural psychologists argue that Kohlberg’s stories
and scoring system reflect a Western emphasis on individual
rights, harm, and justice that is not shared in many cultures.
• Kohlberg’s early research was conducted entirely with male
subjects, yet it became the basis for a theory applied to both males
and females.
Other Dilemmas to Consider