Kohlberg’s Theory of
Moral Development
Learning Object for INSYS 448
By
Becca Pangborn
In this tutorial, you will…
Learn Kohlberg’s
seven stages of moral
development
 Explore how to apply
this theory to William
Golding’s novel Lord of
the Flies
 Explore the
relationship of these
stages to your life
experience

Proceed through the tutorial by
clicking on the following links:
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What’s this all about?
Learn Kohlberg’s Seven
Stages
Progress Activity
Play the Moral Development
Game
Final Assessment
What’s this all about?
Visit the following link
and read ONLY the
first section entitled
“The Heinz Dilemma,”
thinking about the
italicized questions as
you read
http://www.vtaide.com/pn
g/Kohlberg.htm
Kohlberg’s Seven Stages
Click on the links to learn about each stage
BACK
(BACK TO FINAL
ASSESSMENT)
Pre-Conventional Moral Development
 Stage 0
 Stage 1
 Stage 2
Conventional Moral Development
 Stage 3
 Stage 4
Post-Conventional Moral Development
 Stage 5
 Stage 6
 Stage 7
Information from these pages was copied from a school
handout, author unknown.
Stage 0
At this stage, the individual:
 Avoids pain and seeks pleasure
 Has no sense of obligation to anyone else
 Is self-absorbed (unaware or anyone’s needs
other than those that are self-serving)
 Does what he/she wants to do
 Is amoral
 Is totally egocentric in assuming that the world
revolves around his/her needs and desires
 Has thus no sense of cause-effect
 Is typically between the ages of 0-7
BACK
Stage 1
At this stage, the individual:
 Obeys rules in order to avoid punishment
 Determines a sense of right and wrong by what is
punished and what is not punished
 Obeys superior authority and allows that authority
to make the rules, especially if that authority has
the power to inflict pain
 Is responsive to rules that will affect his/her
physical well-being
 Is usually over the age of 7
BACK
Stage 2
At this stage, the individual:
 Is motivated by vengeance or “an eye for an eye”
philosophy
 Is self-absorbed while assuming that he/she is
generous
 Believes in equal sharing in that everyone gets the
same, regardless of need
 Believes that the end justifies the means
 Will do a favor only to get a favor
 Expects to be rewarded for every non-selfish deed
he/she does
 Is usually over the age of 10
BACK
Stage 3
At this stage, the individual:
 Finds peer approval very important
 Makes moral decisions on the basis of what will please
a limited group and make the person feel included
 Thus models behavior on that of the “majority” which is
the behavior of the “in crowd” or peer group
 Feels that intensions are as important as deeds and
expects others to accept intentions or promises in
place of deeds
 Begins to put himself/herself in another’s shoes and
think from another perspective
 May continue to be in this stage until him/her has
reached the 20s in age
BACK
Stage 4
At this stage, the individual:
 Continues past actions and behaviors in tradition
since the maintenance of law and order is
supremely important
 Is a duty doer who believes in rigid rules that
should not be changed
 Respects authority and obeys it without question
 Supports the rights of the majority or majority rule
without concern for those in the minority
 Is part of about 80% of the population that does
not progress past stage 4
BACK
Stage 5
At this stage, the individual:
 Is motivated by the belief in the greatest amount of
good for the greatest number of people
 Believes in contracts in which both parties
compromise and yet both receive benefits
 Believes in consensus (everyone agrees), rather
than in majority rule
 Respects the rights of the minority especially the
rights of the individual
 Believes that change in the law is possible but
only through the system
 Has reached the same stage as the official
morality of the nation
BACK
Stage 6
At this stage, the individual:
 Loses the ability to compromise high principles and thus
may forfeit his/her life in order to uphold them
 Believes that there are high moral principles than those
represented by social rules and customs
 Obeys these self-chosen high moral principles
 Is willing to accept the consequences for disobedience
of the social rule he/she has rejected
 Uses only passive resistance and has no use for
violence in any form
 Believes in granting justice and dignity to all human
beings as inalienable human rights
 Respects justice for its moral nature and its legal nature
 Believes that the dignity of humanity is sacred and that
all humans have value
BACK
Stage 7
At this stage, the individual:
 Is a “seeker of justice in an unjust world”
 Has a cosmic perspective of life
 Neglects any consideration for self
 Focuses not on the individual but on the whole, a
view of self as part of the infinite whole and not as
an individual part that is significant
 Thus is plagued with despair and sees a world of
woe that he/she is inadequate to repair
 Possesses an altruism that is difficult for the world
to comprehend and consequently his/her
forgiveness and compassion often runs afoul of
the world’s sense of justice I.e. moral level BACK
Progress Activity
Print and complete this chart after thinking about the
seven stages and submit to teacher
Character
Stage
(0-7)
Rationale (with two quotes as evidence)
Piggy
Jack
Ralph
Simon
Roger
BACK
Play the Moral Development
Game!
DIRECTIONS:
 Play the game by clicking on this link
http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch03/kohlberg.mht
ml
 Write a brief summary of your experience with the game
and email it to your teacher (rmp15@scasd.org)
BACK
Final Assessment
DIRECTIONS:
 Reflect on all you have learned about
Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory
 Consider events and decisions you have
made in your own life.
 Place yourself within one of Kohlberg’s
Moral Development stages (To see the
stages again, click here)
 Write a two-page paper about the stage
you believe you are currently in and why.
Use situations and evidence from your
experience to support your claim.
 Email your paper to your teacher
(rmp15@scasd.org)
 CONGRATULATIONS! You have finished
this tutorial!