kohlberg’s moral development theory · 2018-07-05 · kohlberg’s moral development theory....
TRANSCRIPT
Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory
Harvard Center for Moral Education
20 years of using interviews to investigate the nature of moral thought, by classifying interview responses to a story. The interviewee answers a series of questions about the moral dilemma
Kohlberg used this moral dilemma to question various interviewees to determine their moral thought pattern.
From these answers Kohlberg hypothesizes three level of moral development
What he was looking for Kohlberg did not care about the yes or no
answer about stealing the drug, but rather the explanation behind the answer
Kohlberg then broke down the answers and developed the three stages of moral development:– Preconvention – Conventional – Post conventional
Preconventional Stage Level 1.Obedience and punishment
orientation– Children obey because adults tell them
to obey. People base their moral decision on fear of punishment
Preconventional Stage Level 2. Self–interest orientation
– Individuals pursue their own interests and expect others to do the same –what is right involves equal exchange
Conventional Stage Level 3. Mutual interpersonal
expectations and conformity– Individuals value trust, caring, and
loyalty to others as a basis for moral judgments-
– Want to live up to expectations
Conventional Stage Level 4 Social system morality
– Moral judgments based on social law – The importance of doing one’s duty – Maintaining the fabric of society
Postconventional Stage Level 5.Social contract and Individual
rights– Individuals reason that values, rights and
principles may transcend the law – difference between moral and legal right
Postconventional Stage Level 6.Universal ethical principles
– Individual principles of conscience and justice