Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

In 1958, the Moral development theory was proposed by Lawrance Kohlberg. Kohlberg extended the theory of Jean Piaget. According to Piaget, two stages of moral development. And, according to Kohlberg, six stages of moral development.

In this theory, three levels, and each level is divided into two stages. Kohlberg’s story is dependent on a hypothetical story related to Heinz Dilemma. Dilemma lived in Europe. His wife was dying from cancer. The doctor had prescribed a new drug for cancer. This drug might save her life and the drug is very costly. At least, Dilemma broke the chemist’s shop and stole the drug because he had no money for medicine.

Lawrance Kohlberg asked a series of questions related to the story. They are:-

• • Should Heinz have stolen the drug?
  • Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?
  • What if the person dying was a stranger, would it make any difference?
  • Should the police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman died?

Each boy was given 2 hours interview based on 10 questions related to the story of the dilemma.

• Pre Conventional Morality  According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, this level is subdivided into two stages. They are- Punishment & obedience orientation and Naive Hedonism.

   

  • Punishment and Obedience Orientation   In this stage, a child’s moral development is dependent on the external world compared to the internal. According to moral development theory, children follow the rules of authority figures such as teachers, police, parents, and the head of the family member to avoid punishment.

    In this stage, children’s obedience process leads to no punishment and disobedience leads to punishment. And, children always try to follow of obedience process rather than disobedience.

  • Naive Hedonism    According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, naive hedonism is also known as “Instrumental purpose orientation.” In this stage, children repeat the behavior to gain rewards and satisfaction.

     

• Conventional Morality       In Kohlberg’s moral development theory, a child strives to obey rules and social norms to win others’ approval, and children try to maintain social order. In this moral development theory, this level is subdivided into two stages. They are- good boy or good girl orientation and social-order maintaining morality.

   

  • Good boy and good girl orientation      According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, behavior is approved by others, and children are judged by their intentions. This stage is presented with the help of interpersonal relationships and conformity.

     

  • Law and Social order    According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, in this stage, children always try to maintain the law and social order. If children maintain the law and social order then children’s ability and capacity will be accepted by socialized people. This state plays an important role in moral development.

     

• Post Conventional Morality  This morality is also known as principled morality. It is the highest level of morality compared to previous levels. According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, morality is based on social contracts, democratic law, and universal principles of justice.

   

  • Social order maintaining morality      According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, the social world is presented with the help of different opinions, rights, and values. The law of society is dependent on social contracts. Social contract leads to moral decisions and compromises.
  • The morality of Individual principle of conscience  This stage is the last stage of moral development theory. In this stage, social rules and principles are not concrete. These rules are abstract forms. It is based on self-chosen ethical principles.
    

    Criticism of Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

    • According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, this theory totally depends on male ( sample of behavior) participants.
    • The story of Dilemmas is totally hypothetical, not real.
    • Very low validity and poor research design.
    • This research is dependent on a qualitative method(Interview).

     

Educational Implications of Kohlberg’s Moral Theory

• With the help of Kohlberg’s moral development theory, teachers identify and predict the morality of the children.
• The teacher can apply different learning methods according to the morality of the children.
• The teacher can recognize children’s social rules.

Development in Adolescence

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory