Kohlbergs Theories of Moral Development

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Kohlbergs Theories of Moral Development

• HRE 4M1 Grade 12M Religion
• Chapter 10 Free to be Fully Alive

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Background

• The theory concerns itself with the reasons
  behind an action, and not the action itself
• Six people can do the same thing , but each of
  them may do it for different reasons
• People understand moral reasoning at their own
  stage, from stages lower than they are, or higher
  than they are
• People are attracted to higher stages
• Encountering moral dillemas allows for growth

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Stages of Moral Reasoning

• LEVEL 1 (Pre-Conventional) FOCUS ON THE SELF
• Stage 1 Punishment and Obedience
• Stage 2 Personal Usefulness
• LEVEL 2 (Conventional) FOCUS ON OTHERS
• Stage 3 Conforming to the Will of the Group
• Stage 4 Authority and Social Order (Law and
  Order)
• LEVEL 3 (Post-Conventional) FOCUS ON PRINCIPLES
• Stage 5 Social Contract and Human Rights
• Stage 6 Universal Ethical Principles (Personal
  Conscience)

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Kohlbergs Dilemma Example

• A woman was near death from a special kind of
  cancer. There was one drug that the doctors
  thought might save her. It was a form of radium
  that a druggist in the same town had recently
  discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but
  the druggist was charging ten times what the drug
  cost him to produce. He paid 200 for the radium
  and charged 2,000 for a small dose of the drug.
  The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone
  he knew to borrow the money, but he could only
  get together about 1,000, which is half of what
  it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was
  dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him
  pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I
  discovered the drug and I'm going to make money
  from it." So Heinz got desperate and broke into
  the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.
  Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to
  steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?

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Level 1 Pre-Conventional Level Focus on the
Self
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Stage 1 Punishment and Obedience

• This stage generally occurs from the ages of 7-11
• At this stage, children see rules as fixed and
  absolute
• Physical consequences determine the goodness or
  badness of an act.
• Avoidance of punishment is the key motivation
• The person submits to power and authority to
  avoid punishment

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Stage 2 Personal Usefulness

• This stage generally occurs from the ages of 7-11
• What is right is that which satisfies ones own
  needs and occasionally the needs of others.
• Human relations and fairness are interpreted in a
  physical and pragmatic way what is useful to
  me?
• You scratch my back and Ill scratch yours is
  the basic mentality and motivation.

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Pre-Conventional Examples
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Level 2 Conventional Level Focus on the Group
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Stage 3 Conforming to the Will of the Group

• This stage generally occurs from the ages of
  11-25
• Good behaviour is that which pleases or helps
  others and gets approval from them
• One conforms to standard ideas of appropriate
  behaviour
• One earns acceptance by being nice
• This is often referred to as the
• good boy-good girl orientation
• Behaviour is often judged
• by the intention they mean
• well

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Stage 4 Law and Order

• This stage generally begins around age 15 until
  25
• One sees obedience to rules for their own sake as
  a necessary to maintain order
• Right behaviour consists of doing ones duty and
  respecting authority
• Flaws in the system are due to failure of the
  individuals to obey the system

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Pre-Conventional Examples
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Level 3 Post-Conventional Level Focus on
Principles
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Stage 5 Social Contract and Human Rights

• This stage can be reached beginning around ages
  21-25
• The right action is described in terms of general
  values that have been agreed upon by the whole
  society
• Laws are justified on the basis of general
  principles
• One may work to change the law for the sake of
  society
• Right action is seen as a matter or personal
  values

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Stage 6 Personal Conscience

• This stage generally begins around age 15 until
  25
• Right is a decision of personal conscience in
  agreement with abstract ethical principles that
  apply to all persons everywhere.
• Decisions are based upon universal principles of
  justice, the reciprocity and equality of human
  rights, and respect for the dignity of human
  beings as individual persons
• Choices are grounded in genuine moral interest in
  the well-being of others, regardless of who or
  where they are.

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Post-Conventional Examples
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The Reality

• These are natural steps
• There is no stage-skipping, but sometimes we slip
  back when we are stressed
• Someone can be at different levels in various
  aspects of life
• One can reason one way and act another way
• Some individuals become stuck in one stage not
  everyone reaches mature morality
• 15-20 of American adults continue to think at
  the pre-conventional level ½ reach Stage 6

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Biases

• Men base moral judgement on principles of
  impartial justice, fairness, and equity
• Women base moral judgement on principles of
  caring, nurturing and responsibility
• Women experience intimacy, care and concern at an
  earlier age than men
• The needs of the poor must take priority over the
  wants of the rich even if the resolution of the
  problem for the poor has a great potential cost
  for the rich