Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg
Psychologist’s theories of moral development provide an insight
into how moral disagreement developed and even how they
untangle it.

Lawrence Kohlberg, a professor of psychology in Harvard

University is a prominent moral development theorist, but his
thinking grew out of Jean Piaget’s writing on children’s intellectual
development. His theory is descriptive, rather than, proven facts.
 Moral Development
Kohlberg's theory of moral development is a
theory that focuses on how children develop
morality and moral reasoning. Kohlberg's
theory suggests that moral development
occurs in a series of six stages and that
moral logic is primarily focused on
seeking and maintaining justice.
Stages of Moral Development
Levels of Moral
Development
Pre-Conventional Morality
Conventional Morality
Post- Conventional Morality
Age Stages Included in This Level
0 to 9 Stage 1: Obedience and
Punishment
Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation
Early adolescence to Stage 3: “Good Boy, Nice Girl”
adulthood Orientation
Stage 4: Law and Order
Orientation
Adults Stage 5: Social contract
Orientation
Stage 6: Universal Principles
 Level I: Pre-conventional
The pre-conventional level children don’t have a
personal code of morality. Their moral code is
controlled by the standards of the adult. The type
of reasoning at this level is centered on the
consequences of one’s action and the level is divided
into two stages.
 Stage 1: Obedience/Punishment
The first stage of reasoning focuses on obedience and the avoidance of
punishment. At this stage, a child reasons out that actions are “good” if
they are able to avoid punishment and actions are “bad” if they result to
punishment. By that, we understand that children’s action as thought of is
not that they have found what the best thing to do is, rather, they have
found what to do in order to evade getting scolded or punished.
 Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation
At this point, entering the second stage of reasoning, children act
according to what will satisfy their interests. The good at this
stage of development is what brings pleasure to them.
Children’s activities at this stage are focused on those in line with
their interests. Hence, what is “good” for children of this age is
what brings them pleasure or satisfaction. Characteristically, at this
stage, children still have difficulties making a distinction between
them and others. Others are considered extensions of who they are
and deals with them to the extent that they can bring them pleasure
or some kind of advantage.
The pre-conventional stage symbolizes the stage
when children have not yet understood the
importance of rules in their life. The consequences
of their acts are most important as they may lead to
either punishment or to their satisfaction or pleasure
their interests having been served. What is right or
wrong is not determined by following rules but by
what their actions bring them.
 Level II: Conventional
At this stage, older children, adolescents
and young adults learn to conform to
societal expectations. Conventions acquire
significance for the individual and learns to
follow them. They now understand the
importance of conventions in their life.
Level II is subdivided into two stages.
 Stage 3:”Good Boy, Nice Girl”
Orientation
Group approval at this stage is very important for the child. The
desire to belong is a strong motivation for the child in order to act
according to what the group expects from her or him. The more
common tendency for the individual is to conform especially to the values
of the immediate group like the family, playmates, and later on to those of
the peer group because doing so it will best serve his or her interests to be
part of the group. Adolescents would therefore seek the approval of
others since they are instrumental in the satisfaction of their new
needs. They are also more open and give more importance to the
expectations of larger groups in their community or in school.
 Stage 4:Law and Order
Orientation
The fourth stage is an important development. It is the deepening of
the acceptance of the importance of societal conventions. The
individual learns by now that conventions are not only good for him or
for her but the individual realizes that conventions are necessary for
the existence of the society itself. Hence, at this stage, the individual
is better ready in order to accept and value most of the laws, rules
and regulations of one’s community or society. Dutifulness toward
the standards of the society embodied in its rules and laws shape the
moral reasoning of the stage. Adolescents of this stage very
importantly uphold laws and regulations that when others disobey
them like when laws are not properly or wrongly implemented, they
are capable of rebelling against a system that does not respect the
laws.
 Level III: Post-Conventional
In the post-conventional level, people realize that
what matters is no longer the simple following of
rules in the society that takes precedence. The
moral agent by now knows that what is at stake
is more on doing or acting upon the personally
acquired beliefs or principles. What one does is
what one ought to do is now the new challenge for
the individual moral agent.
 Stage 5: Social Contract
the moral agent realizes the value of social contract which is about
the agreements. Rational agents realize that it is their call to serve
the common good which he or she ought to respect and live by.
The idea of the common good is post-conventional because it is
theoretically the mature and conscientious moral agents who are
identified to be morally upright. The moral agent binds himself or
herself with the common good whether or not it produces
consequences that are beneficial or not. For clarity, the notion of
the common good is upheld higher or given more importance than
existing communal agreements, traditions and rules because these
must be examined using rational discourse. Hence, what is moral
is what honors the social contract.
 Stage 6 : Universal Principle
Kohlberg argues that this stage is the highest stage of moral
development. The stage goes beyond social contract. It is about
choosing to do acts based on universal ethical principles acquired
by the moral agent himself or herself. This stage goes beyond the
societal conventions, rules and agreements and that actions are
morally correct only if they are based on the universal ethical
principles. The actions must be respected only if these reflect the
universal ethical principles.
Kohlberg argues that in the stages of moral
development, most people are locked up in the
fourth stage. Only very few are able to go beyond
it. This means that most people relate their moral
judgment to communal or societal conventions,
rules, laws and regulations. Therefore, the
rightness and wrongness of an act depends on
whether one follows them or not; implying
therefore a kind of legalistic mentality.
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
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
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.
 Heinz Dilemma
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 Heinz got desperate and
broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.

Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife?
Why or why not?
ACTIVITY:
Heinz was devastated, and at wit’s end about what he should do next. In the end, he broke
into the company and stole the drug for his wife.

Think about this. What would you do if you were in Heinz position and WHY? Relate
your chosen answer based on the six stages of moral development of Lawrence Kohlberg.

If you were to pick one of the below answers, which one would you CHOOSE?

1. Heinz should NOT steal the drug because he would be put to prison for his crime.

2. Heinz should steal the drug because he would feel gratified and happier.
 ACTIVITY:
3. Heinz should steal the drug because he’s a good husband and its expected of him to do
so by his wife.

4. Heinz should steal the drug but be imprisoned because he broke the law.

5. Heinz should steal the drug because saving a life is more important than breaking the
law.

6. Heinz should steal the drug but NOT be imprisoned because the law would be unjust
if it penalized an individual for saving a life.
Thank You
for listening!