Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development

preconventional morality

children before age of 9 obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards; how does the choice affect themselves?

stage 1 of development

punishment/obedience orientation

stage 2: instrumental purpose orientation

moral behavior that is prompted by the expectation of a reward

conventional morality

before adolescence; upholding laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order

stage 3: good boy/nice girl

how do people see me?

stage 4: law and order

I want to do this, but it’s not right

postconventional morality

occurs adolescence and beyond; actions reflect beliefs in self-defined ethical principles and basic rights

stage 5: social contract

all in this together and we need to do XYZ for good

stage 6: universal ethical principle

would you break the law for somebody?