Kolberg

Kohlberg Theory-
 Lawrence Kohlberg formulated a theory asserting that individuals progress

through six distinct stages of moral reasoning from infancy to adulthood.
 He grouped these stages into three broad categories of moral reasoning, pre-
conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. Each level is associated with
increasingly complex stages of moral development.
 Kohlberg suggested that people move through these stages in a fixed order and
that moral understanding is linked to cognitive development.
Kohlberg’s levels of moral development are as follows: The Preconvention level:

children accept the authority (and moral code) of others. If an action leads to
punishment, it must be bad. If it leads to a reward, it must be good. There is also a
sense in which decisions concerning what is good are defined in terms of what is
good for us. The Conventional level: children believe that social rules and the
expectations of others determine what acceptable or unacceptable behavior is. A
social system that stresses the responsibilities of relationships and social order is
seen as desirable and must, therefore, influence our views of right and wrong.
The Post conventional level: here what is right is based on an individual’s
understanding of universal ethical principles. What is considered morally
acceptable in any given situation is determined by what is the response most in
keeping with these principles.
Heinz’s wife was dying from a particular type of cancer. Doctors said a new drug
might save her. The drug had been discovered by a local chemist, and the Heinz
tried desperately to buy some, but the chemist was charging ten times the money it
cost to make the drug, and this was much more than the Heinz could afford.
Heinz could only raise half the money, even after help from family and friends. He
explained to the chemist that his wife was dying and asked if he could have the
drug cheaper or pay the rest of the money later.
The chemist refused, saying that he had discovered the drug and was going to
make money from it. The husband was desperate to save his wife, so later that
night he broke into the chemist’s and stole the drug.
Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why
or why not?
Preconventional morality is when people follow rules because they don’t want
to get in trouble or they want to get a reward. This level of morality is mostly
based on what authority figures like parents or teachers tell you to do rather
than what you think is right or wrong.
Authority is outside the individual, and children often make moral decisions
based on the physical consequences of actions.
For example, if an action leads to punishment, it must be bad; if it leads to a

reward, it must be good.
So, people at this level don’t have their own personal sense of right and wrong
yet. They think that something is good if they get rewarded for it and bad if
they get punished for it.
For example, if you get candy for behaving, you think you were good, but if
you get a scolding for misbehaving, you think you were bad.
Conventional morality is the adolescent phase of moral development focused

on societal norms and external expectations to discern right from wrong, often
grounded in tradition, cultural practices, or established codes of conduct.
We internalize the moral standards of valued adult role models at the

conventional level (most adolescents and adults).
Authority is internalized but not questioned, and reasoning is based on the

group’s norms to which the person belongs.
A social system that stresses the responsibilities of relationships and social

order is seen as desirable and must influence our view of right and wrong.
So, people who follow conventional morality believe that it’s important to
follow society’s rules and expectations to maintain order and prevent
problems.
Post conventional morality is when people decide based on what they think is
right rather than just following the rules of society. This means that people at
this level of morality have their own ethical principles and values and don’t
just do what society tells them to do.
At this level, people think about what is fair, what is just, and what values are
important.
What is considered morally acceptable in any given situation is determined by

what is the response most in keeping with these principles.
They also think about how their choices might affect others and try to make
good decisions for everyone, not just themselves.
Values are abstract and ill-defined but might include: the preservation of life
at all costs and the importance of human dignity. Individual judgment is based
on self-chosen principles, and moral reasoning is based on individual rights
and justice.

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Kohlberg Theory-

 Lawrence Kohlberg formulated a theory asserting that individuals progress

Kohlberg’s levels of moral development are as follows: The Preconvention level:

For example, if an action leads to punishment, it must be bad; if it leads to a

Conventional morality is the adolescent phase of moral development focused

We internalize the moral standards of valued adult role models at the

Authority is internalized but not questioned, and reasoning is based on the

A social system that stresses the responsibilities of relationships and social

What is considered morally acceptable in any given situation is determined by

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