Lesson 8 – LAWRENCE KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT Flashcards
is a theory which holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental stages, each more adequate at responding to moral dilemmas than its predecessor.
Kohlberg’s stages of moral development
Kohlberg determined that the process of moral development was principally concerned with ___, and that it continued throughout the individual’s lifetime.
justice
The six stages of moral development are grouped into three levels of morality
preconventional
conventional
post-conventional
Kohlberg’s scale is about ___ and his stages are not a method of ___
how people justify behaviors
ranking how moral someone’s behavior is
In Kohlberg’s scale, there should be a correlation between how someone scores on the scale and how they behave, and the general hypothesis is that ___
moral behavior is more responsible, consistent and predictable from people at higher levels
This is especially common in children, although adults can also exhibit this level of reasoning.
A. Pre-Conventional Level
Individuals at this level judge the morality of an action by its direct consequences.
A. Pre-Conventional Level
This consists of the first and second stages of moral development and is solely concerned with the self in an egocentric manner.
A. Pre-Conventional level
In this stage, individuals focus on the direct consequences of their actions on themselves
Stage 1: Reward and Punishment
An action is perceived as morally wrong because the agent is punished. The worse the punishment for the act is, the more “bad” the act is perceived to be.
Stage 1: Reward and Punishment
This stage expresses the “what’s in it for me” position, in which right behavior is defined by whatever the individual believes to be in their best interest but understood in a narrow way which does not consider one’s reputation or relationships to groups of people
Stage 2: Mutual Benefit
This stage also shows a limited interest in the needs of others, but only to a pointwhere it might further the individual’s own interests. As a result, concern for others is not based on loyalty or intrinsic respect, but rather a “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” mentality.
Stage 2: Mutual Benefit
This is typical of adolescents and adults
B. Conventional level
To reason in a conventional way is to judge the moralityof actions by comparing them to society’s views and expectations.
B. Conventional Level
It is characterized by an acceptance of society’s conventions concerning right and wrong
B. Conventional Level
At this level, an individual obeys rules and follows society’s norms even when there are no consequences for obedience or disobedience.
B. Conventional Level
Adherence to rules and conventions is somewhat rigid, however, and a rule’s appropriateness or fairness is seldom questioned.
B. Conventional level
In this stage, the self enters society by conforming to social standards.
Stage 3: “Good Boy / Good Girl”
Individualsare receptive to approval or disapproval from others as it reflects society’s views.
Stage 3: “Good Boy / Good Girl”
They try to be a “good boy” or a “good girl” to live up to these expectations, having learned that being regarded as good benefits the self
Stage 3: “Good Boy / Good Girl”
Furthermore, the individuals act depending on “what others would say” and she is vulnerable to peer pressure.
Stage 3: “Good Boy / Good Girl”
this stage of reasoning may judge the morality of an action by evaluating its consequences in terms of a person’s relationships, which now begin to include things like respect, gratitude, and the golden rule
Stage 3: “Good Boy / Good Girl”
In this stage, it is important to obey laws, dictums, and social conventions because of their importance in maintaining a functioning society.
Stage 4: Law and Order
Challenging or questioning the status quo is frowned upon as it is seen as a threat to the established order
Stage 4: Law and Order
Moral reasoning is beyond the need for individual approval exhibited in stage three. A central ideal or ideals often prescribe what is right andwrong.
Stage 4: Law and Order
When someone does violate a law, it is morally wrong; culpability is thus a significant factor in this stage as it separates the bad domains from the good ones.
Stage 4: Law and Order
Yet there are a few who dare “rock the boat” willing to take the risk of censure, rejection and other forms of opposition. Whether visionaries or naive idealists, those people–some of them–provide the stimulus for change
Stage 4: Law and Order
This level, also known as the principled level, is marked by a growing realization that individuals are separate entities from society, and that the individual’s own perspective may take precedence over society’s view
C. Post-Conventional Level
individuals may disobey rules inconsistent with their own principles.
C. Post-Conventional Level
people at this level live by their own ethical principles—principles that typically include such basic human rights as life, liberty, and justice
C. Post-Conventional Level
people at this level view rules as useful but changeable mechanisms—ideally rules can maintain the general social order and protect human rights. Rules are not absolute dictates that must be obeyed without question
C. Post-Conventional Level
In this stage, the world is viewed as holding different opinions, rights, and values. Such perspectives should be mutually respected as unique to each person or community
Stage 5: Social Contract Driven
Laws are regarded as social contracts rather than rigid edicts. They are based on the principle of utility, and they are not accepted blindly. Those thatdo not promote the general welfare should be changed when necessary to meet “the greatest good for the greatest number of people”. This is achieved through majority decision and inevitable compromise.
Stage 5: Social Contract Driven
In this stage, moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles. Laws are valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice, and a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey unjust laws.
Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Driven
Legal rights are unnecessary, as social contracts are not essential for deontic moral action.
Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Driven
Decisions are not reached hypothetically (in a conditional way) but rather categorically (in an absolute way).
Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Driven
Profound respect for sanctity of human life, nonviolence, equality, and human dignity will be displayed. The resulting consensus is the action taken. In this way action is never a means but always an end in itself;
Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle DrivenIn
the individual acts because it is right, and not because it avoids punishment, is in their best interest, expected, legal, or previously agreed upon
Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Driven
