1. Kohlberg
Moral Development

2. Kohlberg
Lawrence Kohlberg created 3 levels of moral development each with its own two stages

3. Preconventional Level
9 and younger
morality is seen as external
conform to rules imposed by authority to avoid punishment or obtain rewards

4. Preconventional Level
Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Orientation
morality is based on punishment
obey because authority says so

5. Preconventional Level
Stage 2: Naïve Hedonism
morality is based on rewards
obey only when its own interest
if it feels good, its right

6. Conventional Level early adolescence
abides by own standards but they are the standards of others
obeys to obtain praise, recognition, and maintain social order

7. Conventional Level Stage 3: Good Boy or Good Girl Orientation
trust, caring and loyalty to others are the basis of moral judgments
adopts parental standards to be good boy/girl

8. Conventional Level Stage 4: Authority and Social Order
understands social order; law, justice, and duty
law maintaining

9. Postconventional Level
early adulthood
morality based on own standards
recognizes alternative moral causes, explores options and decides personal moral code

10. Postconventional Level
Stage 5: Community v. Individual Rights
values and law are relative and standards may vary
recognizes laws are important to society but laws can be changed
"life" and "liberty" become more important than law

11. Postconventional Level
Stage 6: Individual Conscience
develops moral standards based on universal human rights
humans and life are most important

12. Most people do not get beyond conventional

13. In Europe, a woman was near death from cancer
In Europe, a woman was near death from cancer. One drug might save her, a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The druggist was charging $2,000, ten times what the drug cost him to make. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about 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.”

14. Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not?

15. PRECONVENTIONAL Stage 1: Punishment orientation.
Example: “He shouldn’t steal the drug because he might get caught and be punished” (avoiding punishment)
Stage 2: Pleasure-seeking orientation.
Example: “It won’t do him any good to steal the drug because his wife will be dead by the time he gets out of jail” (self- interest)

16. CONVENTIONAL Stage 3: Good boy/good girl orientation.
Example: “He shouldn’t steal the drug because others will think he is a thief. His wife will not want to be saved by stealing” (avoiding disapproval)
Stage 4: Authority orientation.
Example: “Although his wife needs the drug, he should not break the law to get it. His wife’s condition doesn’t justify stealing” (traditional morality of authority)

17. POSTCONVENTIONAL Stage 5: Social-contract orientation.
Example: “He should not steal the drug. The druggist response is unfair but mutual respect for the rights of others must be maintained.” (social contract)
Stage 6: Morality of individual principles.
Example: “He should steal the drug but alert authorities he has done it. He will have to face a penalty, but he will save a human life.” (self-chosen ethical principles)