LAWRENCE KOHLBERG

• Was born to a family in Bronxville, New York October 25,1927.

• Kohlberg worked on a freighter as a sailor and helped smuggle Jewish refugees through a British blockade located in Palestine.

• When he returned, he attended the University of Chicago and studied Psychology.

• Kohlberg scored so high on his admissions tests that he did not have to take many of the required courses–Earned his PhD in 1958.

• In 1967, he became a professor of education and social Psychology at Harvard University. 

• In 1971, while working in Belize,he contracted a parasitic infection.

• On January 19, 1987, Kohlberg took his own life by drowning himself in Boston Harbor. He was 59 Years Old.

• Kohlberg’s theory on the stages of moral development was a modification of the work of Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist.

• Kohlberg identified six stages within three levels. This theory proposed that moral development is a process that continues throughout a person’s lifespan.

• Kohlberg introduced this theory by presenting moral dilemmas to children of different ages. He asked them to explain the reasoning behind their decisions to observe how moral reasoning changes as children grow older.

• In the Heinz Dilemma, he told children a story about a woman in Europe who was near death due to a special type of cancer. The doctors believed there was one drug that might save her: a form of radium recently discovered by a druggist in the same town.

• The drug was expensive to produce, but the druggist was charging 10 times its cost. He paid $200 to make it and sold it for $2,000 per dose. Heinz, the sick woman’s husband, tried to borrow money from everyone but was only able to gather $1,000.

• Heinz explained his wife’s dire situation to the druggist and asked if he could either sell the drug at a lower price or allow Heinz to pay the remainder later. However, the druggist refused, insisting that he had discovered the drug and intended to profit from it.

• Desperate to save his wife, Heinz broke into the druggist’s store and stole the drug.

• After presenting this fictional dilemma, he  asked them, “Should the husband do that?”

• For Kohlberg, the answers to the dilemmas were less important than the reasoning behind the decisions. Following his research, the children’s responses were classified into three levels and six stages of moral development.

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment (Punishment and Compliance-Oriented)

• At this stage, children view rules as absolute. Obeying the rules is seen as essential to avoid punishment.

Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange (Instrumental Purpose Orientation)

• In this stage, children begin to consider individual points of view. They judge actions based on how well they serve the needs of the individual.

Stage 3: Interpersonal Relationships (Good Boy/Nice Girl Orientation)

• At this stage, children focus on meeting the expectations set by society or by the people close to them. In other words, being good and nice becomes important.

Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order (Law and Order Morality)

• At this stage, society as a whole is taken into consideration. Ethical reasoning is based on maintaining order and contributing to the betterment of society.

Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights (Social Contract Orientation)

• At this stage, individuals understand that people have different beliefs, opinions, and values. To maintain a functional society, laws and rules should be based on agreed-upon standards that respect individual rights.

Stage 6: Universal Principles (Universal Ethical Principles Orientation)

• The final stage is guided by internal principles of justice and ethics. Decisions are made based on these universal principles, even if it means going against established rules and laws.

• For easier understanding, the focus of each stage are...

• Stage 1: Avoiding punishment

• Stage 2: Self-interest and personal gain

• Stage 3: Social approval and the “good person”image

• Stage 4: Upholding laws and social norms

• Stage 5: Balancing individual rights with the greater good

• Stage 6: Universal principles of justice and human dignity

• Strength: Kohlberg’s theory reinforces the idea that as our thinking matures, our behavior becomes more caring and less selfish, reflecting greater moral development.

• Weakness: Kohlberg based his research on hypothetical situations, such as the Heinz Dilemma. However, a person’s response to a hypothetical scenario might differ significantly from their actions in a real-life situation.

• Criticism: Carol Gilligan argued that caring is the most fundamental moral principle, contrasting Kohlberg’s emphasis on justice as the core of moral reasoning.

Moral Dilemma:

• Would you steal a loaf of bread to feed your starving family, knowing you could go to jail, or let them starve?

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment

• “Stealing is wrong because I might get caught and punished.”

Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange

• “I’ll steal the bread because it’s more important to keep my family alive, even if I risk punishment.”

Stage 3: Interpersonal Relationships

• “Stealing is wrong because good people don’t break the law, and I want to be good.”

Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order

• “I won’t steal because it would disrupt the law and society’s structure, even if my family is in need. Laws are in place for the greater good.”

Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights

• “Laws are meant to benefit people, but in this case, following the law would lead to harm. Feeding my family is a human right that outweighs the law against stealing.”

Stage 6: Universal Principles

• “Life and dignity are higher moral principles than property rights, so I will steal the bread, accepting any consequences, as it’s my duty to uphold justice for my family’s survival.”

Moral Dilemma:

Would you save one person you love at the cost of many lives, or save many people at the cost of losing someone dear to you?

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment

“If saving one person I love would cause many people to die, I could be blamed or punished for it.”

Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange

“I care more about my loved one than strangers, so I’ll save them—even if it comes at a high cost to others.”

Stage 3: Interpersonal Relationships

“People would think I’m a good person if I sacrifice my loved one to save others. That’s what a good person would do.”

Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order

“It’s my responsibility to save the most lives possible because society’s rules and values prioritize the welfare of the majority over individual attachments. It’s my duty to act in society’s best interest.”

Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights

“Even though I love this person, a society that values the greater good is more just. I have to choose what benefits the majority, even if it’s painful.”

Stage 6: Universal Principles

“All lives are equal and deserving of dignity. I may feel personal loyalty to my loved one, but my sense of justice and the value of many lives compel me to save as many people as possible.”