Lawrence Kohlberg

1927 - 1987
 A brief bio:
• Born: October 25, 1927
• Bronxville, New York
• Chose to become a sailor
• After WWII, helped smuggle Jews through British
blockade of Palestine
• Doctoral research on moral reasoning
• Professor at Harvard University
• Leader in moral education
• 1973 – developed tropical disease
• Jan. 17, 1987 – reported missing from hospital
• Date of death unknown
 Moral Development
• His approach was dependent on the thinking
of psychologist Jean Piaget and philosopher
John Dewey
– Emphasized that human beings develop philosophically and
psychologically in a progressive fashion
• Able to demonstrate that people progressed
in their moral reasoning through a series of
stages
– Can’t understand moral reasoning more than one
stage above their own/can’t jump stages
Kohlberg’s Levels of
Moral Development
 6 Stages
• Level 1: Pre-conventional morality
– Stage 1. Punishment - obedience orientation
– Stage 2. Personal reward orientation
• Level 2: Conventional morality
– Stage 3. “Good Boy/Nice Girl” orientation
– Stage 4. “Law and Order” orientation
• Level 3: Post-conventional morality
– Stage 5. Social contract orientation
– Stage 6. Universal Ethics orientation
 Kohlberg’s theory

• The “Heinz Dilemma”

– Heinz’s wife is dying. There is one drug that
will save her, but it is very expensive. The
druggist will not lower the price so Heinz can
buy it to save his wife’s life. What should he
do? *WHY?

• The stage of moral development was

determined by the basis for the response
Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience

• Oriented to obedience and punishment

– Avoidance of physical punishment
– No punishment = no guilt
• Deference to authority
• Can’t take others perspective into account
if different from his/her own

• “Heinz must not steal the medicine or he

will be put in jail.”
 Stage 2: Personal reward
(Instrumental Relativism)
• Makes choices based on what will satisfy
needs
• Egalitarianism
• Moral reciprocity
– “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”
• What’s in it for me?

• “I wouldn’t steal the medicine because by the

time I got out of jail, my wife would be dead
anyway.”
Stage 3: Good boy/Nice girl
(Interpersonal Concordance)
• Conformity to expectations of
peers/society
– Being good in eyes of others and own eyes
– Wish to please
– Follow rules to gain/maintain approval
• Can take multiple perspectives
• Intentions noted of motivation behind
behaviors
• Will people I like approve or disapprove of
me?

• “No one will think you are bad if you steal

the drug, but they will think you inhuman if
you don’t.”
 Stage 4: Law and Order
• Moral choices depend on society’s belief of
right and wrong
• Recognize and respect established rules,
regulations, traditions
• Rules must be followed to maintain social
order
• Authority seldom questioned
• Is my decision consistent with the rules?

• “I can’t steal the drug because it is against

the law.”
Stage 5: Social contract-legalistic
• Behavior governed by universal moral principles
– Contractual and legalistic, agreed to by society
– Loyal to social contract
– Work within democratic structure to change laws
• Relativism of personal values
• Laws sometimes in conflict with moral principles – not
just about rules
• Individual rights take precedence
• Is my decision consistent with general legal, cultural,
and social traditions?

• “You will lose your self-respect and the respect of

others if you don’t steal the drug.”
 Stage 6: Universal ethical principles
• Right action defined by self-chosen
ethical principles
– Universal principles of justice, equality,
respect
– Every individual’s interests are worthy
for consideration
– Decisions based on conscience
• Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin
Luther King, Jr.
• Will this decision enhance or
diminish the human condition?

• “You won’t get blamed by the law if

you don’t steal the drug, but you
won’t be able to live up to your own
standards.”
 Moving through the stages
• Stages 1 and 2 – before age 12
• Stages 3 and 4 – before age 18
• Stages 5 and 6 – rarely achieved

• In general, decisions using logic of higher stages

are preferred over lower stage logic.

• Individuals develop due to a conflict in their current

stage – cognitive disequilibrium
• Exposure to logic one stage above their own can
help
– Suggests that teachers provide opportunities to hear
logical arguments based on higher moral stage