Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages Of Moral Development

The life of Lawrence Kohlberg, he was born October 25, 1927 in Bronxville, New York, youngest of four children. Father was Jewish (silk merchant) and mother was Protestant (amateur chemist), they separated when Kohlberg was four and divorced when he was fourteen, he choose to live with his father.

Education and career choices, he attended high school in Massachusetts, after high school became a merchant marine at the end of World War II. Worked on a Haganah ship smuggling Jewish refugees from Romania, end up getting captured and held at camp Cyprus later escaped, returned to the United States. When he returned to the United States he enrolled in College at the University of Chicago, one year later graduating with his Bachelors in Psychology

Developed other writings focused on moral development, The Philosophy of moral development (1981) and The Psychology of Moral Development (1984) was published by Harper & Row. While doing cross-cultural research in Belize in 1971 contracted a parasitic infection. Causing extreme abdominal pain, long term effects and medication use took a toll on him causing his health declined plus work load leaded to depression. Preceded to his death in 1987 drowned suicide at the age of 59.

Kohlberg is a well-known theorist in social development, who built on to Jean Piaget’s theory of moral development. Piaget’s theory was based on two-stages of moral development, however Kohlberg’s theory is based on six stages with in three levels of moral development. Kohlberg wanted to develop his ideas further with the hopes of discovering the ways in which children develop moral reasoning and how it changes as they grow older. People can only pass through these levels in the order given. Each new stage replaces the reasoning of the earlier stage. And not everyone achieves all the

If a person is punished they must have done wrong. (Hedonistic Reasoning: All about me). Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange is the stage children recognize that there is not just one right view that is handed down by the authorities. Different individuals have different viewpoints. Level 2: Conventional Morality with Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships the child/individual is good in order to be seen as being a good person by others. Therefore, answers are related to the approval of others. Stage 4: Maintaining the Social Order the child/individual becomes aware of the wider rules of society so judgements concern obeying rules in order to uphold the law and to avoid guilt. Level 3: Post-conventional Morality with Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights the child/individual becomes aware that while rules/laws might exist for the good of the greatest number, there are times when they will work against the interest of particular individuals. The issues are not always clear. For example, in some dilemmas the protection of life is more important than breaking the law. Stage 6: Universal Principles people at this stage have developed their own set of moral guidelines which may or may not fit the law. Example: human rights, justice, and equality. Some people will defend their principles even if it means going against the rest