Kohlberg Stages of moral development

Question 1

What is the first level of morality

Answer 1

Preconventional Morality
- young children
- unaware of conventions and rules of society
Contains stage 1 and 2

Question 2

What is stage 1

Answer 2

Punishment and obedience - moral reasoning controlled by rewards and punishments

Question 3

What is stage 2

Answer 3

Individualism and self-interest - “what’s in it for me” only interested in personal gain

Question 4

What is the second level of morality

Answer 4

Conventional morality
- older children and most adults
- moral judgements based on conformity to rules that have been internalized
- right and wrong based on authority and immediate group
Contains stage 3 and 4

Question 5

What is stage 3

Answer 5

Social approval - conforming to please others

Question 6

What is stage 4

Answer 6

Social norms laws - “how can I be a good member to society, rules determine good and bad

Question 7

What is the third stage of morality

Answer 7

Post conventional morality
- few adults, most older people
- there are circumstances where society’s rules can be broken for what is morally good
Contains stages 5 and 6

Question 8

What is stage 5

Answer 8

Social contract -
values, rights and principles transcend the law, egalitarian society is ought to be upheld

Question 9

What is stage 6

Answer 9

Universal ethical principles - based on human rights, doing the right thing because of our inner conscious which has absorbed the principal of justice, fairness, and equality

Question 10

What was Kohlberg’s beliefs of the importance of social interaction

Answer 10

Moral development develops through experiencing situations that demand moral responses

Question 11

Bias in the Kohlberg’s study of moral development

Answer 11

• reported that men were more morally developed than women
• focused too much on male morality
• does not reflect what is morally relevant in diverse cultures
• did not look at individualistic and collectivist culture differences