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Lawrence Kohlbergs Moral Development and its impact on Social Development

Lee Griffin
ED 428: Psychological Foundations of Education
University of Saint Mary

Abstract

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My focus is on the stages of moral development conducted by Lawrence Kohlberg. I am

connecting on how moral development impacts social interaction. I am focusing on how it is
critical for children to develop socially and emotionally. There are a variety of theories and
researches on social and emotional development during childhood. I am researching Lawrence
Kohlbergs theories on the process of childhood moral development through social relationships.
Moral development teaches children about attitude and perspective on things. According to
Bukatko (2012), there are two main aspects to emotional development in middle school
childhood: continuing growth of childrens knowledge about the emotions themselves and
progress in the management of their own emotional states. Researchers increasingly recognize
the integral role that emotions play in communication and the social interactions that children
have with adults and with their peers. At the core of successful social development is the ability
to make judgments about the emotions displayed by others as well as the emotions one decides to
display oneself. This is an important and interesting topic to me because I am aiming on being
a future Elementary Education teacher.

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Lawrence Kohlberg divides his moral development theory into six stages under three
levels. The three levels are preconventional, conventional, and post conventional. Stage 1 and
stage 2 are under the preconventional level which consists of rules being set down by others.
Stage 3 and stage 4 are under the conventional level that the individual adopts rules and will
sometimes subordinate own needs to those of the group. Expectations of family, group, or nation
seen as valuable in own right, regardless of immediate and obvious consequences fall under the
conventional stage as well. Lastly, stage 5 and stage 6 are under the post conventional level
which people define own values in terms of ethical principles they have chosen to follow.
Lawrence Kohlberg is known for his work on developmental psychology. Stated by
Bukatko (2012) on page 58 in chapter 3, Kohlberg studied how children (and adults) reason
about rules that govern their behavior in certain situations. Kohlberg did not study childrens
game playing, but rather probed for their responses to a series of structured situations or moral
dilemmas. Lawrence Kohlberg expanded and refined Piaget's earlier work resulting in the
development of his well-known stage theory of children's moral development. According to
Kohlberg, children early in their middle childhood stage of development will typically display
pre-conventional moral reasoning. Children displaying pre-conventional moral reasoning have
internalized basic culturally prescribed rules governing right and wrong behavior. Kohlbergs
theory fits well in elementary schools because students will learn from their peers through
interaction. For instance, students will tend to learn social and ethical stimulations in school.
Students will appreciate their ability to make different kinds of choices, and also the reality of
consequences associated with those choices. They realize that morally good behaviors attract
praise and positive regard from peers and adults, while morally bad choices bring about
unpleasant consequences and negative regard. This is crucial for children to learn so that they

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know the proper and improper ways in interacting with their peers. Children need to learn the
boundaries between other children and adults. During childhood, kids are developing friendships,
so they need to be aware of other people's feelings.

These theories focused on the growth of moral understanding and offered the promise of
discerning the progression of changes that children and adolescents undergo in becoming more
sophisticated about ethical situations and in appropriate behavior. Silverstein and Trombetti
(2013). Aristotles account of his theory supports the claim that it is important for children to
develop socially and morally. Social and moral development is more difficult to analyze compare
to other psychological development. Social and emotional development emphasizes many skills
that increase self-awareness and self-regulation. Research shows that social skills and moral
development reflect in the ability to pay attention, make transitions from one activity to another,
and cooperate with others which is important for any aspect of life. There are different stages and
ways children development socially and morally, so it is a delicate situation for adults to provide
the proper leadership. It is vital for adults to teach children the right way and critical for
children to know the reasoning behind decisions. As I mentioned before there are different stages
in childhood development which determines childrens understanding behind decisions. It is
important to focus on the younger generation because they will be the future, so it is in my best

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interest to help them develop in a positive way. Moral development is crucial for child because it
prepares them for social interactions.

References

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Bukatko, D. (n.d.). Social and Emotional Development. In Child and Adolescent: A

Chronological Approach (pp. 414-444). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company/ Boston.
Slavin, R. (2012). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Indianapolis: Pearson.
Tenth Edition Chapter 3 Social, Moral, and Emotional Development
Silverstein, A., & Trombetti, I. (2013). Aristotles account of moral development. Journal
of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 33(4), 233-252. doi:10.1037/a0031013