Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

1 Punishment and Obedience

A right act is conceived as obeying authority and avoiding punishment

An act is right if it results in a reward; wrong if it results in punishment

2

Individual Instrumental Purpose and Exchange

Right is acting to meet one’s own needs and allowing others to do the same, while making ‘fair deals’ with others to further one’s ends

3 Mutual Interpersonal Expectations, Relationships, and Conformity

right is defined in terms of duties and responsibilities that go with one’s social roles and one’s relationships with other people; a critical virtue is ‘keeping loyalty and trust with partners’.

4 Social System and Conscience Maintenance

right entails performing one’s duty in society and maintaining the welfare of the group becomes paramount.

5 Prior Rights and Social Contract or Utility

right consists of uphol

ding the basic rights, values, and legal arrangements of the society. (personal relationships are subordinated to the universal principles of justice)

6 Universal Ethical Principles

full moral maturity is manifested through one’s fidelity to abstract principles that all humanity should follow. 

level 1

What is right is to obey so that one will get reward; disobey and a punishment will ensue;

level 2

others might be considered but negotiating ensures one’s own welfare.

level 3

is concerned with norms, which are followed for the sake of relation or conformity.

level 4

gives primacy to the norm; maintaining the group is more important.

post-conventional level 5

the moral reasoning, norms or conventions are respected because they embody or lead to the attain of the principles concerning rights, social values and justice;

level 6

concerns the whole of humanity