4.

Six Stages of Moral Development

The American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) is best known for
his theory of stages of moral development. In principle, he agreed with the Swiss
clinical psychologist Jean Piaget’s (1896-1980) theory of moral development but
wanted to develop his ideas further.
Kohlberg employed Piaget’s storytelling technique to tell stories involving moral
dilemmas. In each case, Kohlberg offered an option to be considered, for example,
between the rights of some authority and the needs of some deserving person who is
being unfairly treated. One of his best known stories called Heinz.
What Kohlberg was mostly interested in was not whether the children judged the
action right and wrong, but the reasons provided for the decisions. He discovered that
the reasons tended to change as the children got older. Kohlberg pinpointed three
distinct levels of moral reasoning each with two sub stages composing his so-called
six stages of moral development. He believed that people can only pass through these
levels in order listed. Each new stage replaces the kind of reasoning typical of the
previous stage. Some do not achieve all the stages.

Level 1: Pre-conventional morality

Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation
Stage 2. Individualism and Exchange

Level 2: Conventional morality

Stage 3. Good Interpersonal Relationships
Stage 4. Maintaining the Social Order

Level 3: Post-conventional morality

Stage 5. Social Contract and Individual Rights
Stage 6. Universal Principles

Nature of Moral
Level Age Range Stage
Reasoning
Level 1: Seen in preschool Stage 1: People make
Preconventional children, most Punishment-avoida decisions based on
Morality elementary school nce and obedience what is best for
students, some themselves, w/o
junior high school regard for others’
 students needs or feelings.
They obey rules
only if established
by more powerful
individuals.
Stage 2: Exchange People recognize
of favors that others also
have needs. Thy
mat try to satisfy
others’ needs if
their own needs are
also met. They
continue to define
right and wrong
primarily in terms
of consequences to
themselves.
Level 2: Seen in a few older Stage 3: Good People make
Conventional elementary school boy/girl decisions based on
Morality students, some what actions will
junior high school please others,
students, and many especially authority
high school figures and other
students (stage 4 individuals with
typically does not high status. They
appear until the are concerned
high school years about maintaining
relationships
through sharing,
trust, and loyalty,
and they take other
peoples’
perspectives and
intentions into
account when
making decisions.
Stage 4: Law and People look to
Order society as a whole
guidelines about
right or wrong.
They know rules
are necessary foe
keeping society
running smoothly
and believe it is
 their “duty” to obey
them.
level 3: Rarely seen before Stage 5: Social People recognize
Postconventional college (stage 6 is contract that rules represent
Morality extremely rare even agreements among
in adults) many individuals
about appropriate
behavior. Rules are
seen as potentially
useful mechanism
that can maintain
the general social
order and protect
individual rights,
rather than as
absolute dictates
that must be
obeyed simply
because they are
“law”.
Stage 6: Universal Stage 6 is a
ethical principle hypothetical,
“ideal” stage that
few people ever
reach. People in
this stage adhere to
a few abstract,
universal principles
that transcend
specific norms and
rules. They answer
to a strong inner
conscience and
willingly disobey
laws that violate
their own ethical
principles.