Lesson7-3-5




	ESE502 : The Class : Discipline : Levels : Lesson7-3-5

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Reasoning

When people consider moral dilemmas, it is their reasoning that is important, not their final decision, according to Lawrence Kohlberg. He theorized that people progress through three levels which encompass six stages as they develop abilities of moral reasoning.

Pre conventional Level Rules are set down by others.

Stage 1.	Punishment and Obedience Orientation Physical consequences of action determine its goodness or badness.

Stage 2.	Instrumental Relativist Orientation What's right is whatever satisfies one's own needs and occasionally the needs of others. Elements of fairness and reciprocity are present, but they are mostly interpreted in a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" fashion.

Conventional Level Individual adopts rules, and will sometimes subordinate own needs to those of the group. Expectations of family, group or nation seen as valuable in own right, regardless of immediate and obvious consequences.

Stage 3.	"Good Boy-Good Girl" Orientation ** Good behavior is whatever pleases or helps others and is approved of by them. One earns approval by being "nice."

Stage 4.	"Law and Order" Orientation Right is doing one's duty, showing respect for authority, and maintaining the given social order for its own sake.

Post conventional Level People define own values in terms of ethical principles they have chosen to follow.

Stage 5.	Social Contract Orientation What's right is defined in terms of general individual rights and in terms of standards that have been agreed upon by the whole society. In contrast to Stage 4, laws are not "frozen" -- they can be changed for the good of society.

Stage 6.	Universal Ethical Principle Orientation What's right is defined by decision of conscience according to self-chosen ethical principles. These principles are abstract and ethical (such as the Golden Rule), not specific moral prescriptions
- Kohlberg (1987)

Once you have finished you should:

Go on to Student Contracts
or
Go back to Levels

E-mail J'Anne Ellsworth at Janne.Ellsworth@nau.edu