Presented By; Samina Nasir

TOPIC;STAGES OF MORAL

DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERG (1971)

LAWRENCE KOHLBERG 1927 - 1983

• Lawerence Kohlberg born in 1927

• Grew up in Bronxville, New York

• Died on January 17th, 1987 at the age of 59

• Kohlberg became a professor of education and social psychology at Harvard in 1968

• His book on moral development is used by teachers around the world to promote moral reasoning.

THREE LEVELS

THEORYI. Pre-Conventional Morality

Stage1. Obedience or Punishment Orientation

Stage 2. Self-Interest Orientation

II. Conventional Morality

Stage 3. Social Conformity Orientation

Stage 4. Law and Order Orientation

III. Post-Conventional Morality

Stage 5. Social Contract Orientation

Stage 6. Universal Ethics Orientation

LEVEL ONEPRE-CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

STAGE #1:OBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT ORIENTATION Morality is based upon the

physical punishment that follows an action, rather than right or wrong. The concern is for self - "Will I get into trouble for doing (or not doing) it?" Good behavior is associated with avoiding punishment.

EX: The child won’t grab the candy at the supermarket for fear of being slapped

STAGE #2: SELF INTEREST ORIENTATION

• The concern is "What's in it for me?" Action is judged right if it helps in satisfying one's needs or involves a fair exchange.

EX: A mother tells her child: “If you are quiet at the mall, I will buy you an ice cream.”

THE CONVENTIONAL LEVEL • Needs of Laws and society are the defining features.

• “Don't steal” because it is against the law• Good behaviour is motivated to maintain the

affection and approval of friends and relatives• Understand that standards are set for the current social

system, not getting that there is self-interest involved (e.g., no such thing as a bad law)

STAGE #3: SOCIAL CONFORMITY ORIENTATION

People should live up to the expectations of the family and community and behave in "good" ways. Good behavior means having good motives and interpersonal feelings such as love, empathy, trust, and concern for others.

STAGE #4: LAW AND ORDER ORIENTATION

While stage three actions are more concerned with pleasing your family, stage four is associated with following society as a whole. Emphasis is spent on obeying laws to maintain social order.

EX: If you drink and drive your endangering the lives of others on the road, not just yourself.

THE POSTCONVENTIONAL LEVEL

• Personal moral beliefs and values • Characterized by references to universal

ethical principles that represent protecting the rights or of all people

STAGE #5: SOCIAL CONTRACT ORIENTATION

• At stage 5, people begin to ask, "What makes for a good society?" They begin to think about society considering the rights and values that a society ought to uphold.

Stage #6: Universal Ethical Principal Orientation

As human beings we are obligated to live by the principal that “all men are created equal” regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or political belief. Justice is universal, so unjust laws must be broken.

Kohlberg’s Moral Dilemma

In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer.

There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently

discovered.

The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make.

He paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug.

The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000, which is half of what it cost.

He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later.

But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going

to make money from it.“

So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets anxious and considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug for

his wife.

CRITICISMS OF KOHLBERG'S THEORY:• Carol Gilligan, • B. Charles Bailey, UCF

IMPLICATION OF THEORY IN EDUCATION

• Teaching Students "How to Think": Moral Problem-Solving

• Emphasis on Student Activity and Discovery• The Primary Outcome: Skill in How to Grow

Morally• Building an Environment

CONCLUSION• It is concluded that at stage 1 child think of what is right as that which

authority says is right. Doing the right thing is obeying authority and avoiding punishment. At stage 2, children are no longer so impressed by any single authority; they see that there are different sides to any issue. Since everything is relative, one is free to pursue one's own interests, although it is often useful to make deals and exchange favors with others.

• At stages 3 and 4, young people think as members of the conventional society with its values, norms, and expectations. At stage 3, they emphasize being a good person, which basically means having helpful motives toward people close to one At stage 4, the concern shifts toward obeying laws to maintain society as a whole.

• At stages 5 and 6 people are less concerned with maintaining society for its own sake, and more concerned with the principles and values that make for a good society. At stage 5 they emphasize basic rights and the democratic processes that give everyone a say, and at stage 6 they define the principles by which agreement will be most just.

REFERENCES;• Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Kohlberg, L., Levine, C., & Hewer, A. (1981).

• Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development.

• Light, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 231-239, Summer 1978

• Moral stages: A current formulation and a response to critics. Basel: Karger

• Robert R. Newton,Kohlberg: Implications for high school programs; Published in Living Light, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 231-239, Summer 1978