Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning

Level 3: Post-conventional morality

Abstract notions of justice. Rights of others can override obedience to laws/rules

Feelings

Feeling empathy and even unpleasant emotions such as shame and guilt mark advances in moral development.

Kohlberg

Kohlberg's theory of moral development is based on people's responses to moral dilemmas. He developed a classification system for describing moral reasoning that occurs in three levels.

Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Orientation

Physical consequences of an action is determine whether the action is "good" or "bad". Those in authority have superior power and should be obeyed.

Piaget

Piaget suggested that moral development represents individuals' progress from external morality, the enforcement of rules by authority figures, to autonomous morality, the perception of morality as rational and reciprocal.

Teachers

Teachers promote moral development by emphasizing personal responsibility and the functional nature of rules designed to protect the rights of others.

Level 2: Conventional Morality

Views of others matter. Avoidance of blame; seeking approval

Stage 2: Market exchange

What is right is whatever satisfies one's own needs (occasionally the needs of others). Fairness/Reciprocity seen in terms of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours".

conventional domain

addresses societal norms and ways of behaving in specific situations

moral dilemmas (Kohlberg)

ambiguous, conflicting situations that require a person to make a moral decision

moral domain

basic principles of right, wrong, and justice

Level 1: Preconventional Morality

focuses on the consequences of actions for the self Stage 1: Punishment and obedience orientation Stage 2: Market Exchange

moral development

growth in the ability to tell right from wrong, control impulses, and act ethically

Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation

individual is guided by democratically accepted laws and individual rights.

Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles

morality now based on individual conscience (self-chosen principles)

Stage 4: Law and Order

people follow laws and rules for their own sake. They don't make moral decisions to please other people or follow social norms

Stage 3: Interpersonal Harmony

people make decisions based on loyalty, living up to the expectations of others, and social conventions.

personal domain

refers to decisions that are not socially regulated and do not harm or violate others' rights.