KOHLBERG'S MORAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY (UNIT-II )

 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