Lawrence Kohlberg• American Psychologist born in

1927• Follower of Jean Piaget’s

Theory of Cognitive development

• Extended Piaget’s ideas into his own stages of Moral Development

• Died in 1987 reportedly of suicide.

In this stage, the child makes moral decisions based on reward and punishment. In other words, moral reasoning is based on the consequences of the act. The child thinks something is right if it is praised (e.g., sharing toys) or wrong if it is punished (e.g., saying “bad” words). The child does not consider the act itself. Thus, the child has a very selfish orientation to right and wrong.

The child does not understand the conventions of society. Fear is this motivation. He obeys to avoid punishment.

The child shares if others share and hurts if others hurt. These actions come not from a sense of justice or gratitude, but from a selfish sort of “back scratching.”

The child wants to please others, such as parents and teachers, and so he goes by the rules. Moral reasoning is based on compliance with the rules and values of society. Something is right if the church or teachers say it is right; something is wrong if society says so. The child is obsessed with the idea of fairness.

SUBSTAGE 3: Good Child - The child is concerned with what others think and conforms in order to be liked by authority figures and others.

SUBSTAGE 4: Law and Order - The child sees rules as absolute. He believes that rules are rules and should be obeyed simply because they are rules. He does not examine the fairness of the rules themselves.

In this stage, the child or person goes beyond himself and society. This stage is also called the stage of individual principle. The person does what he thinks is right, regardless of what others or society say is right. (For example, a reporter might choose not to reveal his source, or a soldier might refuse to fire on a village because children may be present.) Moral reasoning might be based on personal standards of right and wrong. Many people never reach this stage or operate in it regularly. One question arises: Would it be good if everyone operated on this stage at all times?

STAGE 5: Social Contract - The person believes that laws are relative and may be changed if the need arises.

STAGE 6: Principled - The person sees the cosmic view and believes in transcending individual existence and seeking the unity of self with the universe. (This category is usually reserved for role models such as Ghandi and Mother Theresa.)

STAGE 7: Cosmic - Personal beliefs are based on abstract ethics or abstract principles about the way humans are. For example, one might believe in the concept that humans have dignity and rights and are due respect.

According to Kohlberg, most preschoolers are in the preconventional stage. Some believe that most Americans never go beyond the conventional stage at any age. Kohlberg believed that children can be attracted to operating at high levels of moral reasoning, and parents and educators should seek ways to help young people go beyond the preconventional stage.

A. Kohlberg sampled only men in his research. What difference might exist between men and women in moral development?

B. Kohlberg did not sample a variety of cultures. What are some relationships between culture and moral development? What are some differences in morals and between cultures?

C. Kohlberg’s theories deal with moral thinking. What are some connections between moral thinking and moral behavior?

D. Kohlberg’s theories are based on self-reported data from the respondent to the interviewer. How reliable might this be? How reliable might this not be?