Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development By Mrs. Andrews

Moral Development • Henry breaks 15 glasses while helping his mother put away dishes • Kathryn breaks 3 glasses while attempting to steal cookies Is there a difference?

Methodology… • 72 boys were presented with moral dilemmas (like the Heinz dilemma) • Observe the reasoning/ rationale in selecting answer responses • Created seven moral levels

STAGE ZERO: PREMORAL No moral development yet. "Me first.“ Entirely self-centered. • Appropriate for infants. • Perhaps 4% of adults never get beyond the premoral stage.

STAGE ONE: PHYSICAL AUTHORITY Behave as told to just to escape physical punishment. • No real understanding of why something is good or bad. • Concern is with punishment- only following the rules so that you do not get a punishment, or believing an action/ crime is not wrong if you are not caught

STAGE TWO: IT HAS TO BE FAIR Rules and expectations have to be the same for everybody at every time. • "That's not fair!" • Normal for elementary school. • "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.“ • Stealing an item that is overpriced is not wrong- they were overcharging

STAGE THREE: PEER PRESSURE Follow friends, peers, or society’s “norm.” • Opinions of parents or other authorities are not important. Even own opinions become less important. Opinions of friends and other peers are most important. • Normal at middle school or junior high and on into high school.

STAGE FOUR: LAW AND ORDER Follow the rules, the exact word of the law. Rigid. Black and white. Strong sense of duty. • We hope this stage is developed by the time we allow people to drive cars. • Parents often operate on this level when dealing with their teens. "I told you to be back by midnight… you are late. There are no excuses. You're grounded."

STAGE FIVE: SOCIAL CONTRACT Compromise • Rational people working together can come up with reasonable solutions. "Win-win.“ • Not everyone reaches this stage and those who do may not operate here with any consistency. • Example: Founding Fathers, working on the Constitution

STAGE SIX: ALTRUISM Put other people first. • Operate according to principles that go beyond the letter of the law. Demand more of yourself than others demand of you. This stage endorses civil disobedience. • Justice • According to Kohlberg, perhaps 4% of adults reach this stage. • Examples of individuals or groups who demonstrate altruism: Martin Luther King, Ghandi,

How does development occur? • Not simply maturation • Not simply socialization- parents and teachers do not directly teach new forms of thinking • Stages emerge from our own thinking of moral problems & social experiences

Example: We might imagine, for example, a young man and woman discussing a new law. The man says that everyone should obey it, like it or not, because laws are vital to social organization (stage 4). The woman notes, however, that some well-organized societies, such as Nazi Germany, were not particularly moral. The man therefore sees that some evidence contradicts his view. He experiences some cognitive conflict and is motivated to think about the matter more fully, perhaps moving a bit toward stage 5.

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development