kohlberg’s stages of moral reasoning preconventional level: stage 1 based on fear of punishment
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Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning Preconventional Level: Stage 1 Based on fear of punishment. Preconventional Level: Stage 2 Based on satisfying personal needs (self-interest) or on fair exchange (“You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”). Conventional Level: Stage 3 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning
Preconventional Level: Stage 1
• Based on fear of punishment
Preconventional Level: Stage 2
• Based on satisfying personal needs (self-interest) or on fair exchange (“You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”)
Conventional Level: Stage 3
• Based on maintaining approval of family and friends
Conventional Level: Stage 4
• Based on fulfilling one’s duties and upholding laws
– Laws need to be obeyed or duties need to be fulfilled in order to avoid a “breakdown” in the social system
Postconventional Level: Stages 5 and 6
• Based on universal principles of justice (e.g., equality of human rights, respect for the dignity of each human being)
• May conflict with existing laws
Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory
• Moral reasoning may not be discontinuous
– Individuals who are capable of reasoning at more advanced stages may also engage in reasoning at less advanced stages
• Neglects the role of culture in moral reasoning
– Kohlberg’s scoring system is biased toward individual rights
• Some cultures place greater value on the good of the community than on individual rights—does not mean they’re less morally advanced
• Focuses too much on moral reasoning and not enough on actual behavior
– Level of moral reasoning and moral behavior are correlated, but the correlation is not that strong
– People often reason at a lower level about real-life moral dilemmas than hypothetical dilemmas