PRESENTATION OUTLINE
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Lawrence Kohlberg was born in Bronxville, New York on October 25, 1927. Kohlberg enrolled in the University of Chicago, and with high examination scores, he was excused from many required courses and received his bachelor’s degree in just one year. He received his PhD in psychology from the University of Chicago in 1958. His dissertation was based on his research into the moral choices of adolescent boys and led to a life devoted to the exploration of moral and ethical development in young people.
KOHLBERG’S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT INCLUDED THREE LEVELS AND SIX STAGES:
Preconventional Morality:
Stage one: Obedience and punishment. The child is motivated to avoid punishment and has little or no independent moral reasoning.
Stage two: Individualism and exchange. Individuals are focused on fulfilling their own self-interests, while acknowledging that different people have different views.
Conventional Morality:
Stage three: Maintaining interpersonal relationships. At this stage, individuals emphasize the importance of being kind to other people, engaging in “good” behavior and showing concern for others. This stage includes a strong emphasis on gaining approval.
Stage four: Law and order. The individual is determined to obey the rules, focusing on the value that the law adds to human life. A person at this stage might argue that breaking the law is wrong because the law is designed to protect people. Stage 4 individuals focus on maintaining the social order and upholding cultural norms.
Post-Conventional Morality
Stage five: Social contract. People at this stage of development focus on doing what is best for society as a whole and respecting individual rights. Civil disobedience would be endorsed by people in both stages of post-conventional morality.
Stage six: Universal principles. At this stage, individuals are focused on upholding principles of universal justice, fairness, and ethics. They believe in the democratic process, but also endorse disobeying unjust laws.
Relations to child development
His theory is how children develop through his stages. Children displaying preconventional moral reasoning have internalized basic culturally prescribed rules governing right and wrong behavior. For instance, they will appreciate that it is considered immoral to steal from others; that you must earn or be given things and not simply take them. Children will tend to live in accordance with these rules but primarily for selfish reasons, as a way of avoiding punishment and obtaining praise for themselves.
