Kohlberg’S Theory Of Moral Development Essay

KohlbergвЂ™s Theory of Moral Development Essay
Mark Twain once said, "Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other." Is there a solidified definition of what is
right though? We enforce rules and laws, but that doesn't mean they're always fair or ethical. Our morals decide what we believe is just. We can
judge the morals of people and even fictional characters using what is known as "Kohlberg's theory of moral development." This theory rates morals
on a scale from 0–6 starting at stage 0 where those who are amoral stand. The scale is complete at the highest level of morality during stage 6 where
those with ethical principle are placed. If I were to place myself on this scale I would be midway through the stages at stage three, "Interpersonal...show
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Not everyone follows them, but they know that by doing so they're going to make someone unhappy or frustrated. I know that as well, so I don't
do things like that. If my mother told me to do chores by a certain time I know I better get them done because I don't want her to be upset with me.
It's a lot easier to go ahead and do what you're told than face the consequences and start drama. When I'm in a situation where both of my groups of
friends want to hang out I check with everyone to make sure that it's okay for me to stay with one or leave one group later on for the others. I don't
favor anyone and I'm always there for my friends to talk to. I respect anything they're going through and I try to keep everyone happy. My
reasoning is based on the norms of the group I belong to. One more of the descriptors for this stage is "Put oneself in other's shoes" (Kohlberg).
Empathy is often a concept a lot of people don't seem to grasp until later in maturity. To empathize with someone means to be able to be sensitive to
the feelings of another and vicariously experiencing those feelings, and thoughts of another person without having them communicated in an explicit
manner. Trying to understand the way other people think is really interesting to me and I try to do it a lot before I react or make a rash decision.
When my older sister told me that she was staying in on her twenty first birthday and studying instead of going out and
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Kohlberg 's Stages Of Moral Development Essay
Stephen Lavely
4–21–16
Col–299
Jacqueline Gray
Reflection Essay
I personally identify with many aspects of these papers. In Kohlberg 's Stages of Moral Development, specifically in Stage 6, I identify with basing
my principles and moral values on "equality and worth of all living things (Kohlberg)".I definitely think all individuals are valuable and are of equal
importance and deserve their individual liberties. As a whole, if a the liberty of each person isn 't taken into consideration, it will be a great setback for
humanity. The need to consider the inherent rights of everyone is found all throughout history. For example, during thetime of slavery, many people
viewed having slaves as something that is morally correct. According to Kohlberg 's stages, many people do not reach stage six because they are
too morally influenced by things like gaining peer approval, helping people just to get something out of it for yourself, and following social
normalities. Today, we obviously know now that slavery is absolutely not acceptable. I personally identify with stage six because each individual
needs to look past the seemingly objective moral frameworks of our society. Personally, education gives me a better platform to exercise these ideas.
I would like to major in journalism for a multitude of reasons. One of them is the fact that combined with a good education, I can create works that, in
a way motivate or inspire people to empathize with people. Just like when slavery

Cognitive and moral developments are determined by a child's experience and environment. As the child matures into adulthood they begin to view
the world differently. The capacity to imagine what other people may be thinking and feeling is defined as perspective taking (Berk, 2007). This view
aids in adolescents moral understanding and development. Identifying a child's developmental stage assists in determining the proper support that is
needed in order to provide a safe and nourishing environment. Seven year old Jaylen was interviewed to access and determine her cognitive and moral
development well as her perspective taking stages.
Jean Piaget a Swiss cognitive theorist believed that children actively construct knowledge as they...show more content...
According to Piaget as Jaylen ages her cognitive thinking will increase and she will be able to better understand her external surroundings. As a child
continues to develop they will learn from their external environment and support their cognitive development into adulthood.
As adolescents mature they begin to understand other people's point of view according to Robert Selman this is called perspective taking (Berk,
2007). Robert Selman developed five stages of perspective taking. Throughout each stage as children begin to develop they are able to value others
feelings and views. During Jaylen's interview she was asked a series of questions that dealt with social dilemmas. She was asked how others would
feel if they lost at a game or in a contest. Jaylen often times responded by trying to make the other person feel better by sacrificing her own enjoyment.
According to Selman's perspective taking stages, Jaylen is in the self reflective stage. This stage allows Jaylen to analyze the information and process
the situation from other people's viewpoints. These changes support self–concept and self–esteem, understanding of others, and a wide variety of social
skills (Berk, 2007). Jaylen's environment has aided in her understand of and ability to display empathy and sympathy toward others. Her surroundings
her taught her to share take other people's feelings into account. This will aid in Jaylen's development into an adult who is able to express positive
emotions for

The Theory Of Moral Development Essay
The theory of moral development was developed by psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg and is a very interesting subject that stemmed from Jean Piaget's
theory of moral reasoning. this theory helped us to develop the understanding that morality starts from the early childhood years and can be affected by
several factors. This theory encompasses the ideas that moral reasoning, which is considered the basis for moral behavior, has six identifiable
developmental stages. According to Kohlberg the six stages of moral development are obedience, and punishment, self–interest, interpersonal accord
and conformity, authority and social–order maintaining, social contract and universal ethical principles. The six stages of moral development are
grouped into three levels of morality: pre–conventional morality, conventional morality, and post–conventional morality. The pre–conventional consist
of obedience and punishment orientation and Self–interest orientation which focuses on punishment and rewards. The conventional morality level
includes Interpersonal accord and conformity which concentrated on social norms and good attitude. The third level is post–conventional and it consist
of social contract orientation and universal ethical principles. Kohlberg's theory was based on a considerable amount of empirical research in which
children of different ages were asked to reason about moral dilemmas (Maxwell 2014).
The preconventional level displaces a child 's perception of morality is controlled

Social, Emotional & Moral Development Essay
Shaimuna Pirbhai
Page 1
PIN no: 30146194
ULN no: 9158839584
Course no: E150DWC3561U
CYP Core 3.1: Understand child and young person development
1.1. Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth to 19 years. Aspects of development should include * Physical *
Communication * Intellectual/cognitive * Social, emotional and behavioural * Moral
Social and emotional development is the development of the child's identity and self–image, relationships and feeling about themselves and learning to
live with others in both the family and society which is one of the most important parts of development.
Socialisation can vary in different societies and from family to family. There are two types of...show more content...
They form an attachment and bond with the parent/carer and vice versa, like my grandson formed a bond with his mum, grandpa grandma and the
nanny. The attachment could be with skin contact, smell, feeding, bathing, play, eye to eye contact, talking and listening to parent's voices. Babies
respond positively to main carer by smiling or crying when they want something or comforts self with thumb or pacifier, my grandson used his thumb.
They learn to trust that their needs will be met by the parent or carer and become interested in social interaction with other babies and children
depending on the time spent with other children or his/her personality. They interact differently with various family members and seek attention
constantly. They are interested in everything around them and recognise familiar and unfamiliar faces and shows fear of strangers and get distressed
when separated from mum.
1 year
At this age my grandson was very loving he gave lots of hugs and smiled or laughed a lot when playing with him. He did not like strangers and
showed anxiety when approached by them, played a lot by himself, was egocentric (where he saw himself as the centre of the family and had no
sense of right or wrong), played games like peek–a–boo, enjoyed his bath time, was more demanding and assertive, very tearful and was getting more
independent by trying to eat his food by himself. He still needed attention from carer.
2 years
At this age my

Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages Of Moral Development
Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg is widely known for his proposed stages of moral development; he argued that the development of moral reasoning
"is a continual process that occurs throughout the lifespan." (Cherry). Moreover, Kohlberg's stages of moral development involve three levels, namely:
the preconventional moral reasoning, conventional moral reasoning and postconventional moral reasoning. Each of these levels consists of two stages.
Furthermore, we will examine Kohlberg's stages of moral development by creating a character named Ciara. Ciara is a mischievous, temperamental
and aggressive 11–year old who studies at a christian school. Throughout this essay we will see how Ciara's moral reasoning will evolve. To begin
with, we will...show more content...
At this stage, children mainly focus on how their authority will judge their actions and what will be the physical consequences of their actions. Also,
because of their fear of being punished, their behaviors are based on obeying rules of the authority; this is why Stage One is usually called "The
punishment and obedience orientation" (Berk 320). Stage Two. During a Science experiment, Ciara whispered to her African– American classmate, "I
will stop teasing and calling you names only if you will do something for me.". At this stage, children are now aware that there is not just one point
of view that is right, but individuals who differ also have their own point of right view. Moreover, children behave morally to satisfy their needs, the
needs of others and to exchange equal favors. Children do the favors of others because they know that they will do the same thing in return; children
are more focused in equal sharing and the rewards they will get for their behavior. As Cherry states, "children account for individual points of view
and judge actions based on how they serve individual needs.". Furthermore, Stage Two is often called "The instrumental purpose orientation" (Berk
320). The second level of moral development is the conventional moral reasoning; "Beginning in middle school, up to middle age – most people end up
here" ("Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development."). At this level,

Moral Development During Adolescence Essay
Module code: HRPYC81
Research report for Project: 4805
Assignment number: 27
Title of Study: The Determinants Of Moral Development In Curbing Adolescents' Moral
Decay.
Surname: Zondo
Initials: G. L.
Student number: 43097855
Examination period: October/November 2015
1
The Determinants Of Moral Development In Curbing Adolescents' Moral Decay.
Abstract
The study explored the determinants of moral development in curbing adolescents' moral decay. These determinants included identity development,
gender, parental (mother) relationship with adolescent, and ethical and moral values. A mixed–model method (both quantitative and qualitative) was
used to conduct the study. Participants were sampled through convenience sampling. The sample of a...show more content...
Determinants of morality on adolescents have been focused on moral cognitions and socialisation agents, principally parental influences, as contributed
by cognitive developmental and moral socialisation theories. Research shows that higher level reasoning in adolescence is related to parenting that is
supportive and stimulates adolescents to question and expand on their reasoning, as well as with an authoritative parenting style (Eisenberg and Fabes,
1998).
Furthermore, the foundation for a coherent positive identity, as Erikson believed, originated in the successful psychosocial outcomes of infancy and

childhood, but it is not until late adolescence that young people become absorbed in the task of establishing their identity as it is during adolescence
that individuals begin to assume commitments to future occupations, adult sex roles and personal belief systems. Consequently, if one's value system
and behaviour code, which govern moral reasoning and resultant behaviour, are to any great extent shaped during adolescence and influenced by the
individual's identity, the period of adolescence becomes an important and sensitive one with regards to moral development (Eisenberg et al, 1998)
(Caravita,
Giardino, Lenzi, Salvaterra, & Antonietti, 2012).
For the purpose the study, the researcher explored the reasons behind the decline of moral standards at Gebeni high school. Gebeni high school is
situated at Gebeni rural community, in
the

Social and Moral Development Essay
Much of what we know about the intellectual, social and moral development of infants at birth and as they grow into adults are through the
developmental theories. Some of the developmental theories are sexual development, social development and moral development. Both Jean Piaget
and Lawrence Kohlberg view similarities as well as differences between the theories they each believe in regards to the development of a child social
and moral development. Jean Piaget put forth the theory of cognitive development wherein he established a clear as well as a logical connection
between the age factor and the child's learning and comprehension abilities. Nonetheless, the two theorists held views that worked against each other in
some aspects....show more content...
Kohlberg he believed that there were six identifiable stages, which could be more generally classified into three levels. On the other side, Piaget
outlined four distinct stages of cognitive development with age factor playing a vital role.
The first level of Kohlberg's theory is referred to as Pre–Conventional Morality with two stages. One stage is called Obedience and Punishment and
Stage Two is known as Individualism, Instrumentalism. The authoritative figures in this level pose either threat or reward for the young learners
thereby compelling them to conform to more socially acceptable behaviors. However, the second stage of Level One shows a moral behavior that
is not so ethical nature but rather introvert, inducing actions wherein a child performs keeping mind his needs and desires rather than what is
morally accurate or inaccurate The second level of conventional morality is labeled as social order Maintaining Morality or Law and Order. In the
third stage, the morally good or bad is gauged according to what others consider as ethically justified or morally inaccurate. The strict legal rules and
regulations that form the basis of a child's moral development govern the fourth stage. Thus in this stage, the key factor is analyzing by society wanting
to behave morally to be directed toward positive

Moral Development: Jimmy What are morals and how are they developed? The word moral has many definitions to define its meaning. In this case
the proper definition to define moral would be "of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior" (Moral, n.d.). This definition is pertaining
to one's judgment. Kohlberg is the psychologist who developed a theory on moral development. He used ideas from Piaget and developed his own
theory. His theory will be discussed throughout this easy, while analyzing a scenario about a little boy named Jimmy. This essay will also provide
ideas of how to handle the situation from a parent's perspective.
Moral Development "Kohlberg 's theory of moral development outlines a series of six developmental stages that children go through as they develop
morality" (Kohlberg 's Theory of Moral Development, 2016). Kohlberg used Piaget's work to create his own theory of how children develop morals.
"Kohlberg extended Piaget 's theory, proposing that moral development is a continual process that occurs throughout the lifespan" (Kohlberg 's Theory
of Moral Development, 2016). Kohlberg took Piaget's two stage theory and expanded it into six stages with three levels. Kohlberg's Stages of Moral
Development (n.d.) begins with level one, the preconventional stage. Most accomplish this stage during life. This level has two stages; the punishment
and obedience stage and instrumental exchange stage. Stage one is "avoidance of physical punishment and

The Moral Development And Value Essay
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the moral development and value that is placed upon those morals within a modern society. Addressing how
moral development is an essential piece for individual aspect that we possess. The discussion will include where the majority of an individual's
morality is learned and how those teachings can be influenced by society. This paper will explore one of Lawrence Kohlberg's stories concerning
moral dilemma and the stages of development found in the numerous answers to that dilemma. My answer to Kohlberg's dilemma will be captured and
discussed too. Possible variations to moral value when strangers become a player in the dilemma. Ways in whichmorality does impact our interaction
with our environment as we develop as individuals, will be covered. Finally, an examination of how morals differ in value or placement within a
society and in individual structure.
Individual Moral Development and Value Based within a Modern Society Moral development is first brought into existence by the establishment
of a set of morals. The morals or the set of principles and behaviors that a person holds, is the standard in place to measure decisions and actions
during the course of that person's life. In our society morals hold varying degrees of values and are often called upon to necessitate the issue at hand.
Morals shape the view we have of ourselves and as well as the view we have of others. Our morals dictate who we interact with and how we

Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg conducted research on the moral development of children. He wanted to understand how they develop a sense of right or wrong
and how justice is served. Kohlberg used surveys in which he included moral dilemmas where he asked the subjects to evaluate a moral conflict.
Through his studies, Kohlberg observed that moral growth and development precedes through stages such as those of Piaget's stages of cognitive
development. He theorized that moral growth begins at the beginning of life and continues until the day one dies. He believed that people proceed
through each stage of moral development consecutively without skipping or going back to a previous stage. The stages of...show more content...
Subjects usually between the ages of 5 to 10 are observed maintaining the attributes of being "self–serving." (4) This stage is characterized by a view
that right behavior means acting in one's own best interest and occasionally taking into consideration the needs of others. There is an early
emergence of moral reciprocity. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." The individual will do what is necessary to satisfy his own needs not
concentrating on loyalty or gratitude. Justice becomes "Do unto others as they do unto you." What is right is the immediate interest in the form of an
equal exchange, deal or agreement. A subject at this stage of moral development has a basic understanding that norms and conventions are necessary to
uphold society. (2) The motto of this stage is "What's in it for me?" Elements of sharing are present but are interpreted in a physical pragmatic way. (4)
The second level of moral development is the conventional level. At this level, the adolescent begins to accept the rules and standards of one's family
or group. This level of moral thinking is generally found in society. The attitude of the individual is to maintain, support, and justify social order and
identify with the persons or group involved. This level is divided into the stages of interpersonal conformity and law and order orientation, with a
transition stage before the post conventional level. (3)
An individual at the

This paragraph will begin the evaluation of the quote by first considering the classical research and explanations for moral development, with theories
such as that of Kohlberg, Bandura and Freud being discussed. Perhaps the most controversial of the classical theories comes from Sigmund Freud,
who proposed the existence of hostility between the needs of society versus the needs of the individual. It follows that moral development can only
proceed once the individual's selfish desires are repressed and substituted by the values of important 'socialization agents'. Thus, Freud explains that
between the ages of 3–6 years, a child first faces the development of the Oedipus complex (Freud, 1910) and the moral development can only take place
...show more content...
............. However, when we look at Kohlberg's research from a differential perspective, it is limited in terms of its' generalisability. Although it was
claimed that the six stages were universal, they in fact show a cultural bias. Research such as that of Snarey and Keljo found that the
'post–conventional' level or moral understanding tends to mainly occur in more developed and industrialised societies, suggesting that moral
development may differ from culture to culture (Snarey & Keljo, 1991). In relation to the quote, this may in fact support the idea that we are empty
vessels who are moulded by moral values as it implies that our morals can differ from culture to culture, thus meaning our morals are not universally
innate. Further classical research that can be discussed relates to the social learning theory of aggression. Bandura's social learning theory (SLT) can
be used to discuss the development of morals, however this differs to the previously discussed theories as it draws upon social psychology more than
developmental. The SLT explains that children learn by observing and imitating others. (Bandura & Walters, 1963). Throughout Bandura's classic Bobo
Doll study into aggression, children can be observed to copy the aggression of the adults after seeing them rewarded for it, showing the importance of
vicarious learning and imitation (Bandura, Ross & Ross, 1961). Although

Stages Of Moral Development Essay
Different Stages of Moral Developments Lawrence Kohlberg is the author of different stages of moral development. Kohlberg was a Harvard
professor for many years. During his teaching years, Kohlberg was highly interested about the way children developed their moral reasonings
(Kohlberg's stages of moral development). In the early 1970s, Kohlberg was becoming famous thanks to his research about different stages of moral
developments (Barger). In the research he did about different stages of moral development, he created 3 levels, which are: Pre–conventional,
Conventional, and Post–conventional. Kohlberg's Experiment Process Kohlberg experimented on 72 boys, giving them all a moral dilemma. The
situation was called "Heinz steals...show more content...
However, in the end of the novel, Jem proved to be a grown up, mature, and logical individual. According to Kohlberg's Stages of Development, this
puts Jem at the level Post–Conventional, stage 5. Pre–conventional The first level that was mentioned in Kohlberg's research was the level of
Pre–conventional. This level defined the behavior of a person who is acting in a particular way to avoid punishments or to receive rewards
depending on their behavior; this behavior is mostly found in children from the age of ten through thirteen. This level contains 2 stages: obedience
and punishments, and mutual benefits. Stage 1, Obedience and Punishments is the behavior that appears when people, or children are thinking about
the consequences that might happen if they did something wrong. A good example that was selected from the interview was a kid's statement about
how Heinz was justifiable for stealing the drugs due to the fact that he didn't steal anything major. The second stage is individualism and exchange;
this is the stage where the consequences control the behavior. An example of stage 2 would be a response that stated that he shouldn't steal it
because his kids might need a guardian, or another would be because he might go to jail for it (Crain). Stage 1 and stage 2 sounds similar but they
are different in a way. The first stage is used just to "proves" that defiance is wrong while the second stage is just taking a risk one naturally wants to
avoid the

Four Moral Development Theories
FOUR MORAL DEVELOPMENT THEORIES
Describe Jean Piaget's Theory of Moral Development
Jean Piaget is best known for his stage theory on moral development of children which occurs in two distinct stages from heteronomous to autonomous
and three sub stages premoral (0 to 5 years), moral realism ( 5 to 10 years), and moral relativism (after age 10). In premoral development, children do
not think about right or wrong. In the moral realism phase, children understand right and wrong. Lastly, in moral relativism children move from a
concrete understanding of morality to an abstract one; meaning they make decisions according to their own rules. They understand that rules are not
absolute but necessary for society to get along (Slavin & Schunk,...show more content...
In the moral domain young children know that hurting someone is wrong and such actions can have bad effects on others. In the social domain,
children deal with established rules. They know how to act polite and when to do something nice for some one. In the psychological domain, children
understand who they are, the choices they make, and the friends they pick, and how to evaluate people in situations.
Albert Bandura's Theory of Moral Development through Social Learning
Bandura, a Canadian psychologist, studied the moral development of children using his social learning theory. He maintains that children learn
appropriate behavior mainly by observing and imitating others. According to this theory imitating models is the way children learn gender appropriate
behavior, learn a language, develop a moral sense and deal with aggression. Bandura named three specific motivations (reinforcement, promised
reinforcement, vicarious reinforcement) for imitating a learned behavior (Ryan, 2011). Understanding how moral development in children happens can
help adults to focus on modeling appropriate behavior.
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION
Share at least 2 verses/passages regarding social, moral, and emotional development. Share the verse in quotes followed by the citation.
"Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits" (1Co. 15:33 King James Verson).
"Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another" (Ga.

Moral and Character Development Although moral development has addressed from different models or approaches to psychological and educational,
it is the cognitive–developmental approach; they are given more importance. For the definition of the cognitive, means that moral development has its
bases in the stimulation of the reasoning of the person about circumstances and decisions regarding situations of interpersonal relationship. The role of
thinking is necessary, and above all the how and why the subject justifies and reasoned moral decisions. Also, it is an evolutionary model because it
proposes a sequence of moral development through three stages; the preconvention, conventional, and the post–conventional, which progressively
follow from reasoning less balanced and mature to a more advanced, and in turn, each level is subdivided into moral stages. While the
neo–Kohlbergian approach is the conceptual framework of moral development par excellence, it has some limitations. The idea that sums up this entire
hypothesis is the theoretical framework of Kohlberg focusing on the structure of thought. Although the approach of Kohlberg need modifications, this
is needs to address the moral growth and, in general, understand the development and personal maturity, since the reasoning is an essential part of the
care of moral. So an individual can better choose an option among the possible, you must know the moral principles that govern moral judgment right
around under

Piaget 's Three Stage Of Moral Development
Piaget believes in three stage of moral development. The premoral stage that begins before the age six, morality of constraint that happens between
the ages of six to ten, and the morality of cooperation stage that occurs after the age ten. The premoral stage is when the child exhibits little to no
concern for rules. They do not understand the concept of rules and how they are applied to everyone. At this age, children are too selfish to take
others wants and needs into account and they act to maximize rewards. Children know that rewards are given when they act in a positive way so they
act to avoid punishment. The second stage is the Morality of Constraint. This occurs between the ages of six to ten and it's illustrated when the child
believes that what determines whether an action is good or bad is the consequence of the action and not the motive behind it. They believe that rules
are made by people that have authority and that following the rules means being right. Children in this age group also tend to obey rules because they
are unchangeable and important. The overall lesson of this stage is that morals are absolute. The last stage of this development is the Morality of
Cooperation. Morality of Cooperation also known as Heteronomous Morality Stage and Autonomous Morality Stage is seen in children after the age of
ten and it's all about understanding rules and respect. Understanding that rules can be unreasonable agreements that can be changed and that rules can be

Maslow 's Theory Of Moral Development
Moral Development What it means to take a "life span perspective" when considering human development, on the topic of moral development, is that
in order to understand the changes and progression of a person's moral development you have to take in the account that moral development occurs as a
result of all the different aspects of life that can promote change, such as social interactions, socioeconomic status, and genetics. The life span
perspective uses a multidimensional framework in order to describe moral development throughout a person's life. The framework consists of 4
assumptions, development is lifelong, multidirectional and multidimensional, highly plastic, and affected by multiple, interacting forces. There is a lot
of evidence that focuses on moral development as a life–long process that develops throughout a person's life and changes based on a variety of
factors. The first is Kohlberg's theory of moral development. Inspired by early work of Piaget on moral judgment, Kohlberg set out to develop a more
comprehensive cognitive understanding of moral development. Kohlberg used with clinical interviewing procedure in which he presented a sample
10–to–16– year old boys with hypothetical moral dilemmas presenting in the conflict between two moral values– and asked them what the main actor
should do and why. ? Real life moral dilemmas often help to highlight the role of emotion in moral judgment. Then he followed the participants
longitudinally, reinter viewing

Autonomous Moral Development
rules of another. At this age children have a sense of moral realism. This means that they believe all elements of morality such as rules and
punishments come from an external source and exist in their own right. Due to this they see things as clearly right or wrong as they are told is the
case. From the age of 10 the morality of a child is autonomous. Autonomous means this is where the starts to believe that they are subject to one's own
laws and rules. This stage involves moral relativism. This is where the child starts to understand that rules come from social relationships and they
know the importance of taking other peoples opinions into account. Piaget stated that the move from heteronomous to autonomous morality is
influenced by two...show more content...
Kohlberg believed that we must have an understanding of justice as that represents the most fundamental moral principle. Kohlberg gave a group of
subjects a number of moral dilemma's between 2 or more moral principles and asked them to choose between them. The dilemma's used involved 10
universal moral issues which were punishment, property, law, roles and concerns of affection, authority, life, liberty, distributive justice, sex and truth.
From this experiment Kohlberg formulated this theory of moral development.
Kohlberg's theory of moral development involved three levels with each level having two stages.
The earlier of these levels are consistent to Piaget's stages of cognitive development. The three levels in Kohlberg's theory are the pre Гўв‚¬"
conventional included up to and above the age of 9, The conventional model which included most adolescents and adults and finally the post
conventional level which includes about 20% of adults according to Shaver and Strong over the age of 20. Each of these levels have two stages which
are stage 1 is the punishment and obedience orientation and stage 2 Is the instrumental Гўв‚¬" relativist orientation this are the stages involved in the
pre conventional level. Stage

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development Essay
Kohlberg's theory of moral development consists of six stages within three levels known as preconventional Morality, conventional Morality and
postconventional Morality. Kohlberg calls stage one thinking "preconventional" because children are unable to speak as members of society at this
point. Instead, they see morality as what the adults say they must do. Kohlberg believes that moral development is a process which occurs throughout
the lifespan and does not end at any given time. He is not so much focused on the right or wrong answer but in the reasoning behind the decision
making. Stage one of preconventional morality focuses on obedience and punishment. This stage is most commonly seen in younger children. This is
because children...show more content...
At stage 2, in contrast, punishment is simply a risk that one naturally wants to avoid(Crain). The difference between the two can go unnoticed in a
child. Decisions made by a child around the age of ten can be influenced based upon both stages. It is for this reason that these stages are in the
same level, children in either of these stages speak and make decisions as individuals rather than as members of society. Conventional morality is
level 2 of Kohlberg's theory. Interpersonal relationships is stage 3 and mainly focuses on living up to social expectations. Children and adults in
this stage consider how choices influence relationships. An individual will act to gain approval of others. Peer pressure plays a major role during
this stage. People will do most things to remain loyal to a popular look, lifestyle or group of people in which they need to gain or maintain approval
of. School students are typically influenced by others very often and are surrounded by persuasion which is why it is more likely for teens to fall
under this category. The child/individual becomes aware of the wider rules of society so judgments concern obeying rules in order to uphold the law
and to avoid guilt(McLeod). Stage four in conventional morality revolves around maintaining social order. This is the highest stage most adults will
attain. At this stage people consider society when making judgments and decisions. Typically a

Kohlberg’S Theory Of Moral Development Essay

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