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Kohlberg's Moral Development Stages

American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg studied the moral development of children over 20 years and identified six stages of moral development. These stages progress from pre-conventional morality based on obedience and self-interest, to conventional morality based on pleasing others and following rules and laws, to post-conventional morality based on social contracts and universal ethical principles. Kohlberg believed most adults do not reach the highest post-conventional stages of prioritizing society's welfare and individual conscience over rules.

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Ian Paolo Española Melad
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140 views2 pages

Kohlberg's Moral Development Stages

American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg studied the moral development of children over 20 years and identified six stages of moral development. These stages progress from pre-conventional morality based on obedience and self-interest, to conventional morality based on pleasing others and following rules and laws, to post-conventional morality based on social contracts and universal ethical principles. Kohlberg believed most adults do not reach the highest post-conventional stages of prioritizing society's welfare and individual conscience over rules.

Uploaded by

Ian Paolo Española Melad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ETHICS

Lawrence Kohlberg – American Psychologist

- Studied the moral development of group of small children for 20 years


- Interested in justification or reasoning
- Six stages of moral development

Stages of Moral Development

LEVEL STAGE SOCIAL ORIENTATION

Pre-conventional 1 Obedience and Punishment

2 Individualism, Instrumentalism,
and Exchange

Conventional 3 "Good boy/girl"

4 Law and Order

Post-conventional 5 Social Contract

6 Principled Conscience

Pre-conventional: Stage 1. Obey or Pay

- generally found at the elementary school level


- people behave according to socially acceptable norms because they
are told to do so by some authority figure (e.g., parent or teacher)
- obedience is compelled by the threat or application of punishment
- moral decisions are based on self-interest

Stage 2. Self-satisfaction

- acting in one's own best interests


- satisfying own needs is a big priority

Conventional: Stage 3. Approval-Group Norms

- generally found in society


- moral decisions are based on what pleases others
- concerned about interpersonal relations
- gain the approval of others
Stage 4. Law and order
- biding by the law and responding to the obligations of duty
- society is looked upon as a whole guideline about behavior
- Rules are thought of as inflexible or unchangeable

Post-Conventional: Stage 5. Standard of society

- Kohlberg felt is not reached by the majority of adults


- social mutuality and a genuine interest in the welfare of others
- rules are social agreements that can be changed when necessary

Stage 6. Logical Moral Principle

- Kohlberg could never get enough subjects to define it


- based on respect for universal principle
- the demands of individual conscience

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