Kohlberg

EDU-508 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
B.ED WEEKEND PROGRAMME
2ND SEMESTER SECTION ‘’B’’
BY MS HINA Z’
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg (1958) agreed with Piaget's (1932) theory of moral development in principle
but wanted to develop his ideas further.
He used Piaget’s storytelling technique to tell people stories involving moral dilemmas. In each
case, he presented a choice to be considered, for example, between the rights of some authority
and the needs of some deserving individual who is being unfairly treated.
One of the best known of Kohlberg’s (1958) stories concerns a man called Heinz who lived
somewhere in Europe.
By studying the answers from children of different ages to these questions, Kohlberg hoped to
discover how moral reasoning changed as people grew older. The sample comprised 72 Chicago
boys aged 10–16 years, 58 of whom were followed up at three-yearly intervals for 20 years
(Kohlberg, 1984).
Level 1 - Pre-conventional morality
At the pre-conventional level (most nine-year-olds and younger, some over nine), we don’t have
a personal code of morality. Instead, our moral code is shaped by the standards of adults and the
consequences of following or breaking their rules.
Authority is outside the individual and reasoning is based on the physical consequences of actions.
• Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation. The child/individual is good in order to avoid being
punished. If a person is punished, they must have done wrong.
• Stage 2. Individualism and Exchange. At this stage, children recognize that there is not just one right
view that is handed down by the authorities. Different individuals have different viewpoints.
Level 2 - Conventional morality

At the conventional level (most adolescents and adults), we begin to internalize the moral standards
of valued adult role models.
Authority is internalized but not questioned and reasoning is based on the norms of the group to
which the person belongs.
• Stage 3. Good Interpersonal Relationships. The child/individual is good in order to be seen as being a
good person by others. Therefore, answers relate to the approval of others.
• Stage 4. Maintaining the Social Order. The child/individual becomes aware of the wider rules of
society, so judgments concern obeying the rules in order to uphold the law and to avoid guilt.
Level 3 - Post-conventional morality

Individual judgment is based on self-chosen principles, and moral reasoning is based on individual
rights and justice. According to Kohlberg this level of moral reasoning is as far as most people get.
Only 10-15% are capable of the kind of abstract thinking necessary for stage 5 or 6 (post-
conventional morality). That is to say, most people take their moral views from those around them
and only a minority think through ethical principles for themselves.
• Stage 5. Social Contract and Individual Rights. The child/individual becomes aware that while
rules/laws might exist for the good of the greatest number, there are times when they will work against
the interest of particular individuals. The issues are not always clear-cut.
• Stage 6. Universal Principles. People at this stage have developed their own set of moral guidelines
which may or may not fit the law. The principles apply to everyone. E.g., human rights, justice, and
equality.
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). However, Kohlberg’s subjects
were aged between 10 and 16. They have never been married, and never been placed in a situation
remotely like the one in the story. How should they know whether Heinz should steal the drug?
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.
Further, the gender bias issue raised by Gilligan is a reminded of the significant gender debate still
present in psychology, which when ignored, can have a large impact on the results obtained
through psychological research.
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. The fact that Kohlberg’s theory is heavily
dependent on an individual’s response to an artificial dilemma brings a question to the validity of
the results obtained through this research. People may respond very differently to real life
situations that they find themselves in than they do with an artificial dilemma.
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. However, longitudinal research on Kohlberg’s theory
has since been carried out by Colby et al. (1983) who tested 58 male participants.She tested them
six times in the span of 27 years and found support for Kohlberg’s original conclusion, which we
all pass through the stages of moral development in the same order.
Problems with Kohlberg's Theory
1. Are there distinct stages of moral development?
Kohlberg claims that there are, but the evidence does not always support this conclusion In
practice, it seems that reasoning about right and wrong depends more upon the situation than upon
general rules. The evidence for distinct stages of moral development looks very weak, and some
would argue that behind the theory is a culturally biased belief in the superiority of American
values over those of other cultures and societies.
2. Does moral judgment match moral behaviour?
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 behaviour 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. Girls are often found to be at stage 3 in Kohlberg’s system
(good boy-nice girl orientation) whereas boys are more often found to be at stage 4 (Law and Order
orientation). Gilligan (p. 484) replies: “The very traits that have traditionally defined the goodness
of women, their care for and sensitivity to the needs of others, are those that mark them out as
deficient in moral development”.
Gilligan concluded that Kohlberg’s theory did not account for the fact that women approach moral
problems from an ‘ethics of care’, rather than an ‘ethics of justice’ perspective, which challenges
some of the fundamental assumptions of Kohlberg’s theory.

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EDU-508 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

B.ED WEEKEND PROGRAMME

2ND SEMESTER SECTION ‘’B’’

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

Level 2 - Conventional morality

Level 3 - Post-conventional morality

Problems with Kohlberg's Methods

1. The dilemmas are artificial (i.e., they lack ecological validity)

2. The sample is biased

3. The dilemmas are hypothetical (i.e., they are not real)

4. Poor research design

Problems with Kohlberg's Theory

1. Are there distinct stages of moral development?

2. Does moral judgment match moral behaviour?

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.

3. Is justice the most fundamental moral principle?

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