Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg had ideas about how people think, which differed from Piaget’s ideas. Kohlberg’s theory of moral development can be categorized into six stages and three levels of thinking. The levels are preconventional reasoning, conventional reasoning, and post conventional reasoning. Stage one in his first level, preconventional, is usually the stage young children are in. In this stage children obey orders from their parents because they fear the punishments they may receive if they do not. Individuals in the second stage care about what they will personally gain, and how they will benefit from helping others. Thinking in the conventional level and third stage is slightly more advanced because individuals try to be good in order to fit societal expectations. They base their morals on what they have learned from others as the norm. Moral reasoning in the fourth stage is beyond just receiving approval, but people in this stage ensure that all rules and laws are followed. The next level is post conventional, with the fifth stage involving individual rights. In this stage laws are social contracts that should be followed most of the time except when they violate individual rights. In the sixth and last stage, individuals follow their conscience and may take action even at risk to themselves (Kohlberg 1958). The sixth stage is more of a hypothetical stage because it is difficult to find individuals who fall into this stage.