Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory of moral development that outlined six stages within three levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. He based his theory on interviews with subjects presented with moral dilemmas like the Heinz dilemma. While influential, Kohlberg's theory has been criticized for using artificial dilemmas, a biased male sample, and not fully accounting for factors influencing moral behavior beyond reasoning. Questions also remain about whether moral judgment directly matches behavior and if justice is the sole fundamental moral principle.

1. Stages of moral development
by Lawrence kohlberg
GROUP 7

2. MEMBER
• Milbeth Joy Natinga Baluran
• Ailyn Langaig
• Angelica Sarsua
• Macregler Borres
• Jovelyn Garzon
• Kyla Camille Angel Timtim III
• Arnie Jay Canabuan Sibugan
• Jesrile Puda

3. Lawrence kohlberg

4. What Is Moral Development?
• How do people develop morality? This question has fascinated parents, religious leaders, and
philosophers for ages, but moral development has also become a hot-button issue in psychology
and education.1 Do parental or societal influences play a greater role in moral development? Do
all kids develop morality in similar ways?
• American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg developed one of the best-known theories exploring
some of these basic questions.2 His work modified and expanded upon Jean Piaget's previous
work but was more centered on explaining how children develop moral reasoning.
• How did the two theories differ? Piaget described a two-stage process of moral
development.3 Kohlberg extended Piaget's theory, proposing that moral development is a
continual process that occurs throughout the lifespan. His theory outlines six stages of moral
development within three different levels. In recent years, Kohlberg's theory has been criticized as
being Western-centric with a bias toward men (he primarily used male research subjects) and with
having a narrow worldview based on upper-middle-class value systems and perspectives

5. How Kohlberg Developed His Theory
One example was "Heinz Steals the Drug." In this scenario, a woman has cancer and her doctors believe only one drug might save her. This drug had been discovered by a local ph
One example was "Heinz Steals the Drug." In this scenario, a woman has
cancer and her doctors believe only one drug might save her. This drug had
been discovered by a local pharmacist and he was able to make it for $200
per dose and sell it for $2,000 per dose. The woman's husband, Heinz, could
only raise $1,000 to buy the drug.
Kohlberg was not interested so much in the answer to whether Heinz was wrong or
right but in the reasoning for each participant's decision. He then classified their
reasoning into the stages of his theory of moral development.

6. How Kohlberg Developed His Theory
• Kohlberg based his theory on a series of moral dilemmas presented to his
study subjects. Participants were also interviewed to determine the reasoning
behind their judgments in each scenario.
• One example was "Heinz Steals the Drug." In this scenario, a woman has
cancer and her doctors believe only one drug might save her. This drug had
been discovered by a local pharmacist and he was able to make it for $200
per dose and sell it for $2,000 per dose. The woman's husband, Heinz, could
only raise $1,000 to buy the drug.

7. Stages of Moral Development
• Kohlberg's theory is broken down into three primary levels. At each level of
moral development, there are two stages. Similar to how Piaget believed that
not all people reach the highest levels of cognitive development, Kohlberg
believed not everyone progresses to the highest stages of moral
development.

8. Level 1. Preconventional Morality
• Preconventional morality is the earliest period of moral development. It lasts until around
the age of 9. At this age, children's decisions are primarily shaped by the expectations of
adults and the consequences for breaking the rules. There are two stages within this level:
• Stage 1 (Obedience and Punishment): The earliest stages of moral development,
obedience and punishment are especially common in young children, but adults are also
capable of expressing this type of reasoning. According to Kohlberg, people at this stage
see rules as fixed and absolute.7
• Obeying the rules is important because it is a way to avoid punishment.

9. • Stage 2 (Individualism and Exchange): At the individualism and exchange stage
of moral development, children account for individual points of view and judge
actions based on how they serve individual needs. In the Heinz dilemma, children
argued that the best course of action was the choice that best served Heinz’s
needs. Reciprocity is possible at this point in moral development, but only if it
serves one's own interest

10. Level 2. Conventional Morality
• The next period of moral development is marked by the acceptance of social rules
regarding what is good and moral. During this time, adolescents and adults internalize the
moral standards they have learned from their role models and from society.
• Stage 3 (Developing Good Interpersonal Relationships): Often referred to as the "good
boy-good girl" orientation, this stage of the interpersonal relationship of moral
development is focused on living up to social expectations and roles.7 There is an emphasis
on conformity, being "nice," and consideration of how choices influence relationships.
• Stage 4 (Maintaining Social Order): This stage is focused on ensuring that social order is
maintained. At this stage of moral development, people begin to consider society as a whole
when making judgments. The focus is on maintaining law and order by following the rules,
doing one’s duty, and respecting authority.

11. Level 3. Postconventional Morality
• At this level of moral development, people develop an understanding of abstract
principles of morality. The two stages at this level are:
• Stage 5 (Social Contract and Individual Rights): The ideas of a social contract
and individual rights cause people in the next stage to begin to account for the
differing values, opinions, and beliefs of other people.7 Rules of law are important
for maintaining a society, but members of the society should agree upon these
standards.
• Stage 6 (Universal Principles): Kohlberg’s final level of moral reasoning is based
on universal ethical principles and abstract reasoning. At this stage, people follow
these internalized principles of justice, even if they conflict with laws and rules.

12. • PRE-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
• At the pre-conventional level, Finn is driven by fear and Mary by self-interest. Both judge
what is right or wrong by the direct consequences they expect for themselves, and not by
social norms. This form of reasoning is common among children.
• CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
• At the conventional level, Betty responds to peer pressure, and the teacher follows the
rules. Their morality is centered around what society regards as right. At this level, the
fairness of rules is seldom questioned. It is common to think like this during adolescence
and adulthood.
• POST-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
• At the post-conventional level, Jessy knows that things are complicated because
individuals may disobey rules inconsistent with their own morality. The headmaster
follows a universal ethical idea, at complete disconnect with what society thinks or the
rules say. To him everything is solved through compassion. The right behavior in his
opinion, is therefore never a means to an end, but always an end in itself. Not every
person reaches this level.

13. Kohlberg asked a series of questions such
as:
• 1. Should Heinz have stolen the drug?
• 2. Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?
• 3. What if the person dying was a stranger, would it make any difference?
• 4. Should the police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman died?

14. Problems with Kohlberg's Methods
• 1. The dilemmas are artificial (i.e., they lack ecological validity)
• Most of the dilemmas are unfamiliar to most people (Rosen, 1980). For example, it
is all very well in the Heinz dilemma asking subjects whether Heinz should steal the
drug to save his wife.
• 2. The sample is biased
• According to Gilligan (1977), because Kohlberg’s theory was based on an all-male
sample, the stages reflect a male definition of morality (it’s androcentric). Mens'
morality is based on abstract principles of law and justice, while womens' is based
on principles of compassion and care.

15. • 3. The dilemmas are hypothetical (i.e., they are not real)
In a real situation, what course of action a person takes will have real consequences
– and sometimes very unpleasant ones for themselves. Would subjects reason in the
same way if they were placed in a real situation? We just don’t know.
• 4. Poor research design
• The way in which Kohlberg carried out his research when constructing this
theory may not have been the best way to test whether all children follow the same
sequence of stage progression. His research was cross-sectional, meaning that he
interviewed children of different ages to see what level of moral development
they were at. A better way to see if all children follow the same order through the
stages would have been to carry out longitudinal research on the same children.

16. Problems with Kohlberg's Theory
• 1Are there distinct stages of moral development?
• Kohlberg claims that there are, but the evidence does not always support this
conclusion. For example, a person who justified a decision on the basis of
principled reasoning in one situation (postconventional morality stage 5 or 6)
would frequently fall back on conventional reasoning (stage 3 or 4) with
another story.

17. • 2. Does moral judgment match moral behavior?
• Kohlberg never claimed that there would be a one to one correspondence between thinking and
acting (what we say and what we do) but he does suggest that the two are linked.
• However, Bee (1994) suggests that we also need to take account of:
• a) habits that people have developed over time.
• b) whether people see situations as demanding their participation.
c) the costs and benefits of behaving in a particular way.
d) competing motive such as peer pressure, self-interest and so on.
Overall Bee points out that moral behavior is only partly a question of moral reasoning. It is also to
do with social factors.
• 3. Is justice the most fundamental moral principle?
This is Kohlberg’s view. However, Gilligan (1977) suggests that the principle of caring for others is
equally important. Furthermore, Kohlberg claims that the moral reasoning of males has been often in
advance of that of females.

18. Thank you