KOHLBERG’S STAGES

OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
• Individuals, when confronted by situations where
they need to make moral decisions, exercise their
own ability to use moral reasoning.
• Our ability to choose right from wrong is tied with
our ability to understand and reason logically.
 MORAL REASONING
• Kohlberg defined moral reasoning as judgments
about right and wrong.
• His studies of moral reasoning are based on the use
of moral dilemmas, or hypothetical situations in
which people must make a difficult decision.
Kohlberg Dilemmas – a specific tasks used by Kohlberg to learn
about moral dilemmas. He presented his dilemmas to the individuals
in his research and asked for their responses.

He did not aim to judge whether the responses were right or wrong.
He was interested in analyzing the moral reasoning behind the
responses.

Dilemma - is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is

practically acceptable.
 PRECONVENTIONAL
LEVEL
Judgment is based solely on a person's
own needs and perceptions
 1 - PUNISHMENT / OBEDIENCE

Actions are determined to be good or bad depending on how they are

rewarded or punished.
A person will act in order to avoid punishment.

Ex:
It would be bad for me to take my friend's toy because the teacher will
punish me.
 MUTUAL BENEFIT

The exchange principle enters the picture at this level, and we treat with
fairness those who do the same with us or those who can help us.
One is motivated to act by the benefit that one may obtain later.

Ex:
If Katy is nice to me, I'll be nice to her, but if she is mean to me, I won't
feel bad about being mean too.
 CONVENTIONAL LEVEL

The expectations of society and

society's laws are taken into
account in a decision.
 3 - SOCIAL APPROVAL

The morality of an action depends heavily on peer approval.

A person acts in order to give importance on what people will think or say

Ex:
I better not drink and drive because my friends will think less of me and I,
in turn, will think less of myself.
 4 - LAW AND ORDER

How moral an action is depends on how well it conforms to society's

rules; the emphasis at this level is on maintaining social order.
The person will follow the law because it is the law

Ex:
I am personally against the war, but would never publicly protest it
on campus without the administration's permission.
POST-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
- judgments are based on more
personal principles, individual rights
and justice
 5 - SOCIAL CONTRACT

Moral behavior at this level might include arguing in favor of customs or laws
being changed in order to preserve the health of the society.
One will act based on social justice and the common good

Ex:
It can't be right that huge corporations sometimes pay no taxes; that law needs to
be changed, so that the burden of taxes falls more equally on everyone's shoulders.
 6 - UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES

People follow a moral code based on universal principles that grant all individuals certain
basic rights. Rules take a back seat if they contradict those principles, as was the case
with those who challenged slavery even when the law allowed it.
Having a set of standards that drives one to possess moral responsibility to make societal
changes regardless of consequences to oneself

Ex:
I refuse to obey a law which does not give equal opportunities to the less fortunate.