The Stages of Moral Development
As previously explained, the moral agent, the human person, is
a being capable of acting "with reference to right and wrong," that is,
one who is capable of being moral, having a moral character.
Moral development refers to the "process through which a
human person gains his/her beliefs, skills and dispositions that make
him/her a morally mature person.
William A. Kay (1970) has the following to say regarding the
nature of moral development. Growth in morality can be described as
passing through stages of behavior controlled first, by taboo; then
second, by law; third by conscience (i.e. irrational, intrajected values);
fourth, by reciprocity; fifth, by social consensus and finally by
personal moral principles, though not necessarily in that order.
Stated differently, the five stages may be reduced to three as
follows:
• The amoral stage - egocentric, hedonist and prudential
considerations.
• The pre-moral stage - authoritarian, ego-idealist, social and
reciprocal considerations.
• The moral stage-personal, autonomous, altruistic, rational,
independent and responsible considerations
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg (2013) describes the stages of m
development in 3 stages, namely: Level 1 - Preconventional morality,
Level 2 - Conventional morality, and Level 3 - Post-Conventional
morality. Each level has two stages each so that there are six stages of
moral developme They are described in detail below:
Level 1 - Pre-conventional morality
This is the lowest level of moral development in Kohlberg's
theory. The pre-conventional level children don't have a personal code
of morality Instead, their moral code is controlled by the standards of
adults and the consequences of following or breaking adults' rules.
Authority is outside the individual and reasoning is based on the
physical consequences of actions There is no internalization of moral
values.
Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation.
The child/individual does good in order to avoid being
punished. If he/she is punished, he/ she must have done wrong.
Children obey because adults tell them to obey. Moral decisions
are based on fear of punishment. It is a matter of obey or you
get punished.
Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation.
Right behavior is defined by whatever the individual
believes to be in his/her best interest. "What's in it for me?" In
this stage there is limited interest in the needs of others, only to
the point where it might further the individual's own interests. It
is a matter of "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch
yours"mentality.
Level 2: Conventional Morality
Throughout the conventional level, a child's sense of morality is
tied to personal and societal relationships. Children continue to
accept the rules of authority figures, but this is now due to their belief
that this is necessary to ensure positive relationships and societal
order. Adherence appropriateness or fairness is seldom questioned
Stage 3: "Good Boy, Nice Girl" Orientation
In stage 3, children want the approval of others and act in
ways to avoid disapproval. Emphasis is placed on good behavior
and people being "nice" to others. The individual is good in order
to be seen as being a good person by others. Therefore, answers
relate to the approval of others. The individual values caring
and loyalty to others as a basis for moral judgments.
Stage 4. Law and Order Orientation.
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. It is a matter of "I have to do
this because the law says so." It is still blind obedience to the
law so morality still lacks internalization.
Level 3-Post-conventional Morality
This is the level of full internalization. Morality is completely
internalized and not based on external standards. 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.
Stage 5. Social contract orientation
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. In this level, individuals reason out that values,
rights and principles transcend the law.
Stage 6. Universal, ethical, principle orientation
Individuals at this stage have developed their own set of
moral guidelines which may of developed moral judgments that
are on universal human rights.The principles apply to everyone.
e.g., human rights, justice, and equality. The person will be
prepared to act to defend these principles even if it means going
against the rest of society in the process and having to pay the
consequences of disapproval and/or imprisonment. When faced
with a dilemma between law and conscience, the person follows
his conscience.Kohlberg doubted few people reached this stage.
(McLeod, 2013)
Development of conscience-based moral decision
Moral development includes development of conscience-based
moral decision. This is in the post-conventional level of Kohlberg's
stages of moral development.
Panizo defines conscience as "an act of the practical judgment of
reason deciding upon an individual action as good and to be
performed and as evil and to be avoided." It is metaphorically referred
to as the "inner or little voice of God."
Panizo (1964) quotes St. Thomas regarding the obligatory force
of conscience: "Every conscience, whether right or erroneous, whether
with regard to acts which are evil in themselves or acts which are
indifferent, is obligatory, so that he who acts in opposition to his
conscience, does wrong."
Rev. Thomas V. Berg, (2012) defines conscience as follows:
In the NL (natural law) tradition, conscience is understood to be a
judgment emanating from human reason about choices and actions to
be made, or accomplished, or already opted for and performed...
Aquinas held that conscience, in the strict sense, was as an act
of human reason-called a judgment-following upon, and concluding, a
time of deliberation. In this sense, conscience is the interior resounding
of reason.
Conscience is reason's awareness of a choice, or an action's
harmony or disharmony, with the kind of behavior which truly leads
to our genuine well-being, and flourishing.
The formation of conscience
 First, conscience formation begins with the deep-seated decision to
seek moral truth.
 Second, a sound conscience must stand on the firm foundation of
integrity, sincerity and forthrightness.
 Third, conscience formation is sustained by the habit of consistently
educating oneself by exposure to objective moral norms and the
rationale behind those norms
For conscience to be formed, it needs a guide, for Christians,
the Church's moral teaching and persons whose moral judgments are
sound and in accordance with the Church's moral tradition.
Conscience formation requires a habit of on-going self-formation
(moral information gathering) through study, reading and other types
of inquiry.
Fr. Vitaliano Gorospe (1974), conscience-based moral decision
means the widening of human consciousness - from family
consciousness to clan consciousness, community consciousness,
town consciousness, provincial, regional, national and international or
global consciousness
As one's consciousness widens, the standards of one's decision
making widens, one's moral conscience widens, one matures.
Moral development is internalization of moral norms. One acts
morally based on his/her convictions not because the law says so or a
person in authority orders so.