Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development: A Longitudinal Study

This page introduces Kohlberg's groundbreaking study on moral development, which aimed to investigate how moral reasoning evolves throughout adolescence and early adulthood, and whether this development differs across cultures. The research was designed as a longitudinal study, following 75 American boys from ages 10-16 to 22-28 over several years.

Definition: A longitudinal study is a research method that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time.

The study's procedure involved individual interviews conducted every three years. Participants were presented with a series of moral dilemmas, many of which were philosophical in nature and derived from medieval ethics literature. After ensuring the participants understood each dilemma, they were asked what the character in the scenario should do.

Example: A classic moral dilemma used in Kohlberg's study is the "Heinz Dilemma," where a man must decide whether to steal a drug he cannot afford to save his dying wife.

Highlight: Kohlberg's approach differed from previous psychologists like Piaget, who believed that moral reasoning fully developed through childhood. Kohlberg proposed that moral development continues into early adulthood.

This research method allowed Kohlberg to observe changes in moral reasoning over time and across different age groups, providing insights into the stages of moral development and how they manifest in real-life decision-making processes.

Conclusions and Cultural Implications of Moral Development

The final page of the study presents the key conclusions drawn from Kohlberg's longitudinal research on moral development. The findings suggest that children, adolescents, and young adults progress through a series of stages in their moral reasoning, moving from pre-conventional to conventional, and finally to post-conventional levels.

Highlight: The study found that the stages of moral development appear to be universal across different cultural contexts, although the rate of progression may vary.

This conclusion has significant implications for understanding moral reasoning development across cultures. While the basic structure of moral development seems to be consistent, cultural factors may influence the speed at which individuals progress through the stages and the specific ways in which they apply moral reasoning to real-life situations.

Example: In collectivist cultures, the emphasis on group harmony might accelerate the development of conventional morality, while individualistic societies might foster earlier development of post-conventional reasoning.

The research underscores the complexity of moral development and highlights the interplay between universal cognitive structures and cultural influences in shaping ethical decision-making.

Quote: "Although there are variations in the rate of development, people growing up in a range of cultural contexts go through the same stages."

This statement supports the idea of universality in moral development while acknowledging the role of cultural diversity in shaping individual experiences and the pace of moral growth. It suggests that while the fundamental process of moral development may be universal, the expression and application of moral reasoning can be culturally specific.