Kohlberg's Six Stages of Moral Development
This page outlines Kohlberg's six stages of moral development, which are divided into three main levels: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. Each level contains two stages, representing increasingly complex forms of moral reasoning.
The pre-conventional level includes:
- Orientation towards punishment (right and wrong are defined by what is punished)
- Orientation towards self-interest (right is what suits one's own needs)
The conventional level comprises:
3. Good-boy-good-girl orientation (right is what pleases others)
4. Orientation towards authority (right is following rules)
The post-conventional level consists of:
5. Social contract orientation (right is what society agrees upon)
6. Orientation toward conscience and ethical principles (right is following ethical principles dependent on circumstances)
Vocabulary: Preconventional morality refers to the earliest stages of moral development, where decisions are based on external consequences rather than internalized principles.
Vocabulary: Conventional morality is characterized by conformity to social norms and the expectations of others.
Vocabulary: Postconventional morality represents the highest level of moral reasoning, where individuals develop their own ethical principles based on universal values.
Kohlberg determined the stage of moral development for each participant based on their responses to the moral dilemmas. He found that individuals could be classified into one or more stages, with some showing characteristics of multiple stages simultaneously.
Highlight: The study revealed that 50% of participants fit primarily into one stage of moral development, while others exhibited traits from multiple stages.
This classification system provides a framework for understanding how individuals progress in their moral reasoning abilities and how they approach ethical decision-making at different stages of life.
