LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
BRITTANY BEAME
BIOGRAPHY
• Lawrence Kohlberg lived from 1927 to 1987
• He was a professor at University of Chicago and at
Harvard University
• He was best known for his theory of the stages of
moral development
JEAN PIAGET
• Kohlberg followed Piaget’s footsteps and studied
moral judgment
• Kohlberg’s work reflected/extended Piaget’s ideas
while still creating a new field within psychology:
“moral development”
• It took him 5 years before he was able to publish an
article with his views
• Kohlberg was considered to be one of the 30th most
eminent psychologists of the 20th century
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
• Kohlberg thought that moral development was
principally concerned with justice, and that it
continued throughout the individual's lifetime
• He relied on stories like the Heinz Dilemma
• Six identifiable developmental stages
HEINZ DILEMMA
• Heinz's wife was near death, and her only hope was a
drug that had been discovered by a pharmacist who
was selling it for an exorbitant price. The drug cost
$20,000 to make, and the pharmacist was selling it for
$200,000. Heinz could only raise $50,000 and insurance
wouldn't make up the difference. He offered what he
had to the pharmacist, and when his offer was rejected,
Heinz said he would pay the rest later. Still the
pharmacist refused. In desperation, Heinz considered
stealing the drug. Would it be wrong for him to do that?
• Should Heinz have broken into the store to steal the drug
for his wife? Why or why not?
WHY IT MATTERS
• It is not important what the participant thinks that
Heinz should do
• Kohlberg’s theory says that the justification the
participant offers is what is significant, the form of
their response
THE SIX STAGES
• Level One: Pre-conventional
1. Obedience and punishment
2. Self-interest orientation
• Level Two: Conventional
3. Interpersonal accord and conformity
4. Law-and-order
• Level Three: Post-conventional
5. Social contract orientation
6. Universal ethical principles
PRE-CONVENTIONAL
• Especially common in children
• Judging the morality of an action by it’s direct
consequences
• Individual has not yet adopted what society views
as “right” and “wrong”
OBEDIENCE
• How can I avoid punishment?
• The act is morally wrong because the individual was
punished
• The worse the punishment, then the more “bad” the
act is viewed as
• Lacks recognition that other’s points of view are
different from one’s own
SELF-INTEREST
• What's in it for me?
• Paying for a benefit
• Defined by whatever the individual believes to be in
their best interest
• Shows limited interest in the needs of others
CONVENTIONAL
• Typical of adolescents and adults
• Judging the morality of actions by comparing them
to society’s views and expectations
• The individual obeys rules and follows society’s
norms even when there are no consequences for
disobedience present
• A rule’s appropriateness or fairness is seldom
questioned
CONFORMITY
• Social norms
• The good boy/good girl attitude
• Individuals are receptive to approval or disapproval
from others
• Judge the morality of an action by evaluating it’s
consequences in terms of relationships (includes
respect, gratitude, and the golden rule)
LAW-AND-ORDER
• Authority and social-order maintaining
• It’s important to obey laws because of their role in
maintaining a functioning society
• Most active members of society remain here where
morality is predominately dictated by an outside
source
POST CONVENTIONAL
• Also known as the principled level
• Growing realization that individuals are separate
entities from society
• Individuals may disobey rules inconsistent with their
own principles (such as human rights as life, liberty,
and justice)
• Some theorists speculated that many people may
never reach this level of moral reasoning
SOCIAL CONTRACT
• Human rights
• World holds different opinions, rights, and values
• Laws are regarded as social contracts rather than
rigid edicts
• Democratic government is based on this stage“the greatest good for the greatest number of
people”
UNIVERSAL HUMAN ETHICS
• Principled conscience
• Moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning and
legal rights are not necessary
• A commitment to justice carries with it an obligation
to disobey unjust laws
• The individual acts because it is right, and not
because it is instrumental, expected, legal, or
previously agreed upon
• Although Kohlberg claims this sixth level exists, he
found it difficult to find individuals who consistently
operate on this level
FURTHER STAGES
• Kohlberg noted a transition stage between level 4
and 5 (named stage 4 ½ or 4+) which shared the
characteristics of both
• Culpability (to be at fault/blamed) is frequently
being turned from being defined by society to
viewing society itself as culpable
• He noted that this stage was often observed in
students entering college
CRITICISM
• Carol Gilligan argues that because Kohlberg’s
theory was developed using only male participants
that it doesn’t adequately describe the concerns of
women
• In response, Gilligan developed an alternative
moral theory based on the ethics of caring
• Critics argue against her however, saying that her
research is ill-founded and that no evidence exists
to support her conclusion
CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS
• I plan to use Kohlberg’s theories to help my children
comprehend society and why there are rules and
structure
• I planning on teaching third grade so I will most
likely encounter the pre-conventional stages of
levels 1 and 2
REFERENCES
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kohlberg
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_o
f_moral_development
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_dilemma
• http://legaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/culpable