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Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

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1 Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
By: Katherine Buckley, Elizabeth Herrera, and Kerry Kennedy

2 Biography Kohlberg was born in 1927 and grew up in New York
After High School he carried European refugees through British blockades to Israel. In 1948, he enrolled at University of Chicago where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree within a year! (aged well) He planned to continue on and earn a graduate degree in psychology. However he became interested in Piaget and wrote his doctoral dissertation on his stage theory of moral development. He taught at Harvard University until his death in

3 Kohlberg’s theory Kohlberg’s three levels based on Piaget’s cognitive stages have two stages in each level: Preconventional: obedience and punishment; individualism and exchange Conventional: good interpersonal relationship; maintaining social order Postconventional: social contract and individual rights; universal principles Kohlberg created dilemmas or scenarios with specific questions as a tool for surveying people and then placing them in a stage. The Heinz Dilemma (#3) is the most well known. Piaget: preoperational - before logic, just as preconventional focuses one one’s self and cannot go beyond not doing something because it is wrong or because it is not fair operational - logical just as conventional focuses on not just oneself and there is a logic behind it. postoperational - abstract, beyond just the logical just as postconventional focuses on the abstract reasons

4 Obedience and Punishment Orientation
Level 1: focus on obeying parents or some authority figure desire for reward over punishment keeping a promise because the alternative is bad no reason is given or seen as required to justify why lying may be wrong, beyond its being labeled as a bad act. Stage 1 Obedience and Punishment Orientation pg 527 of Scoring Manual for example: I don’t take a cookie without asking because my mom says that is wrong and i will get punished. no explanation for why it is wrong to disobey your mom

5 Individualism and Exchange
Level 1: focus on self and what is best for one’s self desire for things to be fair focus on whether it is one’s own business keeping a promise justified by self- interest and instrumental considerations. right of absolute and unfettered control over one’s self and possessions. Stage 2 Individualism and Exchange For example: I won’t tell on you because it is none of my business I deserve to have a cookie because I helped make them. it is only fair

6 Good Interpersonal Relationships
Level 2: Stage 3 obeying, relate to prosocial motives & conduct ex. Stealing is wrong because it is selfish to steal diffuse normative expectation that people should obey the law ex. Stealing is especially selfish and wrong in the absence of a close relationship. law, reputation, group consequences, etc. Good Interpersonal Relationships PG. 59 for example: the owner worked hard for what he has and you shouldn’t take advantage Heinz shouldn’t steal so others don’t get the wrong impression It’s wrong to steal because he should plead or beg for help, explain or talk it over with the druggist, police, doctors, the authorities because he must have faith that God will find or provide a solution. One should obey the law because if everyone breaks the law, there would be chaos.

7 Maintaining Social Order
Level 2: Stealing the drug or for obeying the law entail a rule-utilitarian appreciation of the rights, practices, and institutions functional for the social system Property norm Law norm Stage 4 Maintaining Social Order Property: stealing is wrong even against a selfish owner because it is a precedent which undermines the general societal value of the right to proprty Law: Breaking the law is wrong because subjective violations generalize into disrespect for the law For example: Property----The druggist has the right by the law of supply and demand or standards of the marketplace to make a profit ---bad consequences if property rights aren’t upheld Law ----Heinz should not steal the drug because taking the law into one’s own hands breeds disrespect for the law It is important to obey the law because laws serve and protect productive and orderly functioning of society

8 Social Contract and Individual Rights
Level 3: What makes for a good society? Society is thought about in a very theoretical way, stepping back from their own society and considering the rights and values that a society ought to uphold. Ex: “[One should obey the law] because if individuals are to live together in society, there must be some common agreement; OR because laws represent a necessary structure of social agreement. Stage 5 Social Contract and Individual Rights

9 Stage 6 Universal Principles Level 3:
The principles by which we achieve justice are seen as universal and apply to all. The principles of justice require us to treat the claims of all parties in an impartial manner, respecting the basic dignity of all people as individuals. Stage 6 Universal Principles

10 Who is carol gilligan? In 1977, Carol Gilligan published an essay criticizing Kohlberg’s work because it was biased against girls. Gilligan noticed that Kohlberg solely interviewed boys for his stage theory studies. men and women frequently score at different stages on Kohlberg’s scale. women stayed at stage 3, focusing on interpersonal relationships men scored 4 or 5, focusing on abstract concepts

11 Purpose of Research: to investigate the moral reasoning of children across different age groups in the light of Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development. In general, do higher stages of moral reasoning correlate with increased levels of education? Do girls in the same grade levels achieve the same stages of moral reasoning? Do boys in the same grade levels achieve the same stages of moral reasoning? Are there patterns of difference between boys and girls at each of the grade levels?

12 Contract issue (#2) Judy is sixteen years old. She really loves the music of Taylor Swift. When she found out that her favorite singer, Taylor Swift, was coming to Dallas, she asked her mom if she could go to the concert. Her mom said yes and promised Judy she could go to the concert if she saved enough money for her ticket. Judy babysat for one whole month to earn the money for her ticket and saved up sixty dollars, ten dollars more than the ticket cost. But then, Judy’s mom changed her mind and told Judy that she had to spend the money on clothes for school. Judy was upset. So….she went to the concert anyway -- without her mom’s permission. She bought her ticket and told her mom that she had only saved up ten dollars for school clothes. A week later Judy told her older sister, Louise, all about how much fun that she had had at the concert. She also told Louise that she had lied to her mom. Louise doesn’t know if she should tell her mom or not.

13 Questions: Do you think that Louise, Judy’s older sister should tell their mom that Judy lied and went to concert? Why or why not? Judy’s mom promised her that she could go to the concert if she saved up her own money. And, Judy worked hard to save the money. Since Judy’s mom broke her promise, does that make it OK for Judy to go to the concert? Why or why not? Who is more wrong: Judy? Judy’s mother? Louise? Why?

14 Our Hypothesis: Increasing levels of education correlates to higher stage of moral reasoning. Girls in the same grade level achieve the same stages of moral reasoning. Boys in the same grade level achieve the same stages of moral reasoning. Girls will be at higher stages of moral development than boys until, based on Gilligan, stage 3 then boys will achieve higher stages but girls will stay at stage 3.

15 Group #1 Great Hearts School: Irving Preparatory Academy
2nd and 3rd graders in the after school program. Each child was individually interviewed. They were read the dilemma and asked the questions. student gender stage level 1 Boy 2 1-2-3 3 4 5 6 1-2 student gender stage level 1 Girl 2 3 1-2 4 5 1 (3) stage 1 response: Louise should tell because Judy lied and that is bad. It is not okay because Judy did not get permission. Judy is more wrong because she did not get permission. (permission) stage 2 response: Judy’s mom is more wrong because Judy worked a whole month to save up the money. It is not fair. (exchange) it is not Judy’s older sister’s responsibility to tell, its Judy’s stage 3 response: Louise should not tell because she would want Judy to have fun. (relationship with sister)

16 Group #2 Holy Family School 8 students Ages 12-13 3 males, 5 females
gender stage level 1 male 1-2 2 3 4 female 5 6 Group #2 Holy Family School 8 students Ages 12-13 3 males, 5 females presented with Contract Issue 7 female 1-2 (3) 1 8 3 2 student #2: In answer to question: Since Judy’s mom broke her promise, does that make it OK for Judy to go to the concert? Why or why not? “It doesn’t make it ok but her mom promised her and she broke her promise. A parents promise is more important than a random person’s word even if they always do what they said.” → stage 3 bc expectation that people should follow law, especially mother!! societal norms of mother ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ student #3 In answer to question: Who is more wrong: Judy? Judy’s mother? Louise? Why? “I’d say both Judy and her mother are in the wrong. Judy for going to the concert without permission, and her mom for being difficult. Louise really didn’t do anything bad.” → stage 3 because perfect answer………..and shows there are consequences for disobeying law _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ student #7 in answer to first question: “She should tell her mom that Judy lied. She is disobeying her mother.” in answer to second question: “No, because Judy should obey her mother no matter what she says.” → obviously stage 1 BUUUUUT in question 3…. “Judy is more wrong because she lied to and disobeyed her mother. She is also adding pressure to her sister by telling her she snuck out.” → stage 3 bc concerned with relationships student #8 in answer to first question: “She should tell her mom the truth. As an older sister it is your responsibility to help your siblings learn discipline.” → stage 3 bc telling truth is about obedience to law, concerned with relationship.

17 Group #3 University of Dallas 16 students Ages 18-19 11 Female, 5 male
Gender Stage Level 1 Male 2 3 4 5 3 > 4 6 Female 7 8 Student Gender Stage Level 9 Female 2 1 10 3 11 12 13 14 15 16 Student #5 is at stage 4 for question number one about whether Judie’s older sister should tell their mom that Judy lied and went to the concert. His answer was: “Yes, Louise has as Judy’s older sister a moral obligation to tell their mom about the lie. The question of the justice of their mom’s order being postponed, all lies are by nature harmful to relationships.” This response shows an understanding of the concept of justice and the moral obligations as a person. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This same student however, answered question #3 about who is more wrong: Judy or Judy’s mother, at stage 1 with the response of “Her mother, for breaking her promise.” This response illustrates the basic idea of obedience and punishment; however, this is probably due to a lack of effort and motivation to answer the question fully. Student #8 answered question #2 with “It is always wrong to lie. Judy’s mom lied to Judy as Judy led to her mom. It isn’t ok for Judy to lie but what example is the mom providing about lying?” She is on her way to level 4 because she clearly illustrates an understanding of the expectations of a mother and behaviors that are “good.” Her first sentence, “It is always wrong to lie” illustrates a broader view that is relevant to society as a whole, but she does not specifically mention society and other people as benefiting from telling the truth. Kohlberg and Kramer reported evidence suggesting that, entering college, some subjects temporarily (2-3 years) “retrogressed” to Stage 2 instrumental egoism and later returned to conventional (stage 4) or principled (stage 5) morality……....(pg. 423 in Psychology of moral development)

18 Conclusion Our hypothesis was wrong (sorta). Based on our research….
Increasing levels of education does not correspond as greatly to a higher stage of moral reasoning. In general, girls and boys in their respective grade achieve the same stages of moral reasoning. No one fully achieved stage 4, so we cannot compare males to females in this. Older children do tend to be in higher stages than younger children but not to the extent that we thought. For the second and third graders, there does not seem to be a difference between the girls moral development versus the boys moral development in each age group. ?????? kids need to explain WHY lying is bad and detrimental to society

19 Our limitations Limited amount of children Unequal gender ratio
Boys generally don’t care about Taylor Swift One person may show results for different stages Question should have said: Who is wrong? not Who is more wrong? 18 year olds didn’t sufficiently answer questions Kohlberg focuses on the why of the answer. We have the what. We don’t have enough of the why. at first thought that younger kids were not answering the questions fully because their responses were just no because it is wrong. However this just shows that they are in stage 1 because people in stage one see that as the only reason.

20 Applications for everyday life
What reasoning a teacher would give to a student is reflective of a stage of moral development ex. Kid hitting another kid Stage 1: It’s wrong/ because I said so Stage 2: If you hit him, he can hit you back Stage 3: He is your friend. You don’t want to hurt him. Stage 4: If everyone went around hitting people…. Stage 5: You’re infringing on his rights. Stage 6: It would be unjust for you to hit him. Respect of basic dignity. Parents should also respond using higher stages of moral development. Kohlberg asserts that moral judgment/ reasoning is one major part of ego development1 (Erikson) Most studies show a correlation between stage of moral judgment and action. 1 Kohlberg, Lawrence. Essays on Moral Development. Vol 2: The Psychology of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Print. 397. If a kid asks why they can’t do something, teacher shouldn’t just say because i said so or it's wrong because that's stage 1 but say “If everyone did that….” or “Contract- You promised this and I promised this” (stage 4-5) if student is in stage 1 or 2, you can probably only explain up to stage 3

21 works cited Colby, Kohlberg, Speicher, Hewer, Candee, Gibbs and Power. The Measurement of Moral Judgement Volume I: Theoretical Foundations and Research Validation. New York: Cambridge University Press Print. Colby, Kohlberg, Speicher, Hewer, Candee, Gibbs and Power. The Measurement of Moral Judgment Volume II: Standard Issue Scoring Manual. New York: Cambridge University Press Print. Crain, William. Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., Print. Kohlberg, L., Levine, and Hewer, A. Moral Stages: A Current Formulation and a Response to Critics. Switzerland: Thur AG Offsetdruck, Pratteln Print. Kohlberg, Lawrence. Essays on Moral Development. Vol 1: The Philosophy of Moral Development. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., Print. Kohlberg, Lawrence. Essays on Moral Development. Vol 2: The Psychology of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Print.


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