Kolhbergs Theory of Moral

Development
Lawrence Kohlberg
born: 1927
A moral philosopher and student of
child development. He is director of
Harvard's Center for Moral Education.
His special area of interest is the
moral development of children - how
they develop a sense of right, wrong,
and justice.

Kolhbergs Theory of Moral

Development
Kolhberg has focused on moral
development and has
proposed a stage theory of
moral thinking which goes
well beyond Piaget's initial
formulations.

Kolhbergs Theory of Moral

Development

Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning is a

stage theory. In other words, everyone goes
through the stages sequentially without
skipping any stage. However, movement
through these stages are not natural, that is
people do not automatically move from one
stage to the next as they mature.

Kolhbergs Theory of Moral

Development

In stage development, movement is

effected when when a person notices
inadequacies in his or her present way
of coping with a given moral dilemma.

Kolhbergs Theory of Moral

Development
Kohlberg's scale has to do with moral
thinking, not moral action. As everyone
knows, people who can talk at a high moral
level may not behave accordingly.
Consequently, we would not expect perfect
correlations between moral judgment and
moral action. Still, Kohlberg thinks that
there should be some relationship.

Kolhbergs Theory of Moral

Development
But according to this stage theory, people
cannot understand moral reasoning more
than one stage ahead of their own.
For example, a person in Stage 1 can
understand Stage 2 reasoning but nothing
beyond that. Therefore, we should present
moral arguments that are only one stage
ahead of a person's present level of
reasoning to stimulate movement to higher
stages.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Pre-conventional Morality
1. Obedience Punishment Orientation
2. Personal Reward Orientation

Conventional Morality
3. The good boy/good girl Orientation
4. The Law and Order Orientation

Post-conventional Morality
5. Social Contract Orientation
6. Conscience Orientation

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity

Pre-conventional Morality
Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience Orientation
The person's behavior is mainly governed by
deference to superior power.
He doesnt question this power, his concern
is
to avoid (physical) punishment.
Physical effects of an action determine
whether its good or bad act.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Example:
A child may not cheat in a game with his
big
brother because of what his brother
may do
to him if he is caught.
He doest not avoid cheating because he
values honest behavior.
The person thinks its okay to cheat so
long
as you dont get caught

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Pre-conventional Morality
Stage 2: Personal Reward/Interest
Orientation
In this stage, a person is slightly more
developed. He considers right action to
be anything that satisfies his personal
needs, or sometimes the needs of others.
You scratch my back, Ill scratch yours
is the standard of moral practice.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
He is willing to share equally with
another
person, but for his own sake.
He has begun to develop a sense of
fairness,
but for practical and pragmatic
reasons.
He does not grasp yet the universal
principle
of justice for all men. His concern is

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Conventional Morality
Stage 3: The good boy/good girl Orientation
At the conventional level, the persons
behavior is oriented toward pleasing
others.
His concern is finding acceptance.
He seeks approval by being nice.
The important rule of behavior for the
person
in this level is his intention.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Conventional Morality
Stage 4: A Law and Order Orientation
The persons behavior in this level
focuses on
doing ones duty.
He is loyal to existing authority.
He obeys the laws and promotes keeping
the
established order.
He finds self-respect in fulfilling his
obligations.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
His level of respect for others is based upon
his ability to contribute to the established
system for its own sake.
He may admit the existing system has flaws
but only because everyone isnt doing his
duty.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Post-conventional Morality
Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation
Finally at the Post-conventional level, we
find a more
developed moral behavior emerge. The
person begins to describe right action in
terms of what society has critically
examined and agreed to.
The person carries with him some of his
stage four sensitivities about ones duty
toward the system.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity

But now he works not simply to

maintain
status quo: he may work to change
the law
for the sake of the society.
The person is aware of the fact that
people
hold a variety of values and opinions.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity

Aside from what the majority has

democratically agreed upon, right or wrong
behavior is a matter of personal opinion.
In this stage, the persons level of moral
thinking is oriented toward majority rule,
but his rule is not frozen as in the stage
four persons disposition.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity

Post-conventional Morality
Stage 6: Conscience Orientation

In this stage, the person makes decisions

of conscience and is guided by self
chosen ethical principle.
He holds these principles even if it means
going against the rule of the majority.
The person operates according to the
universal ethical principles of justice,
equality of human life, and respect for the
dignity of human being as individual
person.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
The person in this level, is guided mainly
by ethical principles in contract to
concrete moral rules such as those spelled
out buy the Ten Commandments.
Example: A person may steal medicine, to
give it to someone who would die without
it. The value of human life is greater than
the financial gain.
The person has become progressively
disentangled from property values or
social standing. This person shows the
greatest capacity for moral behavior.

CONCLUSION

After hearing about these stages

of moral maturity, one cannot help
but wonder what stage he is at
personally
It should be pointed out that a
person who is capable of Level Six
behavior might not operate at that
level in all of his actions.

CONCLUSION

It is important to keep in mind that a

person operates at a variety of levels.
Equally important to remember is
that a person advances from one
stage to another sequentially-in
order. Just as a child doest not
become an adult without passing
through adolescence, so must a
person before reaching Stage Six
must pass through Stage Four and
Five.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Pre-conventional Morality

I will do what I am supposed

to do in order to avoid
punishment.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Conventional Morality

I will do what I a supposed to

do as things work out better
when everyone follows the
rules.

Kolhbergs Six Stages of

Moral Maturity
Post-conventional Morality

I will do (or wont do) what I am

supposed to do because I think
( or dont think) it is the right
thing to do.