Kohlberg's stages of moral

development
A Psychological Look at
The Importance of Morality
 Lawrence Kohlberg
• (October 25, 1927 – January 19, 1987)
• Was a Jewish American psychologist born in
Bronxville, New York, who served as a professor at
the University of Chicago, as well as
Harvard University.
• Having specialized in research on moral education
and reasoning, he is best known for his
theory of stages of moral development.
• A close follower of Jean Piaget's
theory of cognitive development, Kohlberg's work
reflected and extended his predecessor's ideas, at the
same time creating a new field within psychology:
"moral development".
• Kohlberg was one of the most eminent psychologists
of the 20th century.
Jean Piaget Lawrence Kohlberg
 The Stages
• In a 1958 dissertation, Kohlberg wrote what are
now known as
Kohlberg's stages of moral development.
• These stages explain the development of
moral reasoning.
• Created while studying psychology at the
University of Chicago, the theory was inspired
by the work of Jean Piaget and a fascination
with children's reactions to moral dilemmas
• Kohlberg's theory holds
that moral reasoning,
which is the basis for
ethical behavior, has six
identifiable developmental
constructive stages - each
more adequate at
responding to moral
dilemmas than the last
 JUSTICE!
• He determined that the process of moral
development was principally concerned
with justice and that its development
continued throughout the life span.
 Moral Scenarios
• Kohlberg studied moral reasoning by
presenting subjects with moral dilemmas.
• He would then categorize and classify the
reasoning used in the responses, into one
of six distinct stages, grouped into three
levels: pre-conventional, conventional and
post-conventional. Each level contains two
stages.
 Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)
– Child's level. (However, some adults act out of this level.)
– People at this level judge the morality of an action by its
direct consequences.
– solely concerned with the self in an egocentric manner.
– Person 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
1. Punishment avoidance and Obedience orientation
(How can I avoid punishment?)

2. Exchange of Favors: Self-interest orientation

(What's in it for me?)
(Paying for a benefit)
 Level 2 (Conventional)
– typical of adolescents and adults.
– Those who reason in a conventional way judge the morality
of actions by comparing them to society's views and
expectations.
– At this level an individual obeys rules and follows society's
norms even when there are no consequences for obedience
or disobedience.
– Adherence to rules and conventions is somewhat rigid,
however.
3. Good Boy/Good girl: Interpersonal
accord and conformity
(Social norms)
(The good boy/good girl attitude)
4. Law & Order: Authority and social-order
maintaining orientation
(Law and order morality)
 Level 3 (Post-Conventional)
– There is a growing realization that individuals are separate
entities from society, and that the individual's own
perspective may take precedence over society's view; they
may disobey rules inconsistent with their own principles.
– These people live by their own abstract principles about right
and wrong—principles that typically include such basic
human rights as life, liberty, and justice. Because of this
level's “nature of self before others”, the behavior of post-
conventional individuals, especially those at stage six, can
be confused with that of those at the pre-conventional level.

5. Social contract orientation

6. Universal ethical principles
(Principled conscience)
Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development
 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development
The Heinz dilemma:
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
chemist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive
to make, but the chemist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to
produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose
of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew
to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is
half of what it cost. He told the chemist that his wife was dying and asked
him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the chemist said: "No, I
discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it." So Heinz got
desperate and broke into the man's shop to steal the drug for his wife.
Should Heinz have broken into the shop to steal the drug for his wife?
Why or why not?
 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development

Stage one (punishment & obedience):

Heinz should not steal the drug
• He will be put in prison

• Which means he's a mean bad

person.

Or:
Heinz should steal the drug
• it is only worth $200

• Heinz had even offered to pay &

wouldn't steal anything else.
 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development

Stage two (reward & self-

interest):

Heinz should not steal the drug

• Prison is awful a jail cell is
worse than his wife's death.

Or:

Heinz should steal the drug

• he will be much happier if he
saves his wife
 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development

Stage three (conformity – good-boy/nice girl ):

Heinz should not steal the drug

• Stealing is bad & he's not a criminal

• He tried without breaking the law, you can't

blame him.

Or:
Heinz should steal the drug

• His wife expects it;

• He wants to be a good husband.

 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development

Stage four (law-and-order):

Heinz should not steal the drug

• the law prohibits stealing it's illegal.

Or: Heinz should steal the drug

• He should take the punishment for the

crime & pay the chemist

• Actions have their consequences.

 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development
Stage five (human rights):
Heinz should not steal the drug

• The scientist has a right to fair

compensation.

• His wife's illness it does not make

his actions right.
Or:
Heinz should steal the drug

• Everyone has a right to choose

life, regardless of the law.
 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development
Stage six (universal human ethics):
Heinz should not steal the drug

• Others may need the drug just as

badly & their lives are equally
significant.

Or:
Heinz should steal the drug

• Saving a human life is a more

fundamental value than the property
rights of another person.
 Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development

Conclusions:
• Strong evidence for children progressing through
Kohlberg's stages as predicted – across cultures

• Most people do not go beyond Stage 4.

• Difficult to distinguish between stages 5 & 6.

• Cultural variations not accounted for.

• Gender bias.

• Complex & artificial dilemma story.