KOHLBERG'S MORAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY
Lawrence Kohlberg (October 25, 1927 – January 19, 1987)
was an American psychologist best
known for his theory of stages of moral
development.
Lawrence
Kohlberg believed that morality develops gradually throughout childhood and adolescence.
In 1956, he
began a study involving 72 boys between the ages of 10 and 16. He presented the
boys with moral dilemmas, moral situations.
Moral
development- what is right or good, what is wrong or bad to react the situation
is called so.
He cited famous story Heinz Dilemma
Kohlberg’s best known dilemmas involve a man
named Heinz, who must choose between stealing medicine and letting his wife
die. In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was
one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that
a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to
make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make.
He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2000 for a small dose of the drug. The
sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but
he could only get together about $1000, which was half of what it cost. He told
the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let
him pay later. But the druggist said, “No, I discovered the drug and I’m going
to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and considered breaking into the
man’s store to steal the drug for his wife.
Should Heinz
steal the Drug/medicine? Instead of the
answer, Kohlberg analyzed the reasons children gave for their answers.
He identified three general levels of moral
reasoning:
|
LEVEL
|
STAGE
|
|
PRECONVENTIONAL
LEVEL
OR PRE-
MORAL
|
STAGE-1 PUNISHMENT-OBEDIENCE
ORIENTATION
|
|
STAGE-2 INSTRUMENTAL-EXCHANGE
ORIENTATION( TIT FOR TAT STAGE )
|
|
CONVENTIONAL
|
STAGE-3 GOOD-BOY-NICE-GIRL ORIENTATION
|
|
STAGE-4 SYSTEM-MAINTAINING ORIENTATION
|
|
POSTCONVENTIONAL
|
STAGE-5 SOCIAL-CONTRACT SITUATION
|
|
STAGE-6 UNIVERSAL-ETHICAL-PRINCIPLES
ORIENTATION
|
1-PRECONVENTIONAL LEVEL OR PRE- MORAL LEVEL
The child
begin to make judgments about what is right or wrong, good or bad. However, the
standards by which he measures the morality are those of others.
He is
persuaded to take such judgment either to avoid punishment or to earn rewards.
Development of morality at this level usually follows the following two stages.
STAGE-1 PUNISHMENT-OBEDIENCE
ORIENTATION
In the
beginning the child’s morality is controlled by the fear of punishment. He
tries to obey his parent s and elders purely to avoid reproof & punishment.
STAGE-2 INSTRUMENTAL-EXCHANGE
ORIENTATION
Stage 2 In the second stage of the pre-moral
stage, children’s moral judgment is based on self-interest and considerations
of what others can do for them in return. Here they value a thing because it
has some practical utility for them.
I will
scratch your back if you scratch mine. Tit for tat stage
2.CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
At this
stage also, children moral judgment is controlled by the likes and dislike of
others -the conventions, rules and regulations and the law and order system
maintained within society.
Stealing or mercy killing would thus be judged wrong
because it is considered wrong by the society at large by the legal system.
In
this way, the conventional level of morality may be regarded as the level where
the child identifies with authority. It is characterized by the following
stages
STAGE-3 GOOD-BOY-NICE-GIRL
ORIENTATION
In the early
years of the second level of moral development, the child’s moral judgment is
based on the desire to obtain approval of others and avoid being declared a
good boy or a good girl.
For this purpose he begins to judge the intention and
likes and dislikes of other to act accordingly.
To please others doing the things .
This marks
the highest level of attainment of true morality as the centering force for
making judgments now rests with the individual himself.
STAGE-4 LAW ORDER STAGE /SYSTEM-MAINTAINING
ORIENTATION
In the later
years of conventional morality level, children’s moral judgment is governed by
convention as well as the law and mores of social system.
Showing respect
to others.
3. POSTCONVENTIONAL LEVEL
STAGE-5 SOCIAL-CONTRACT SITUATION/
SOCIAL-CONTRACT STAGE
At this
stage the individual’s moral judgment is internalized in such a form what he
responds positively to authority only if he agrees with the principles upon
which the demands of authority are based?
If the no of
people will say this correct then it is correct
STAGE-6 UNIVERSAL-ETHICAL-PRINCIPLES
ORIENTATION
At this
stage the controlling forces for making moral judgments are highly
internalized.
The decision of the individual are now based upon his conscience
and the belief in universal principles of respect, justice and equality.
He
does what he, as an individual thinks regardless of legal restrictions or the
opinion of others.
Thus at this stage people act according to the inner voice
of their conscience and lead a life that they can without self-condemnation or
feeling of guilt or shame.
Individualized
ideals principles formed
