1. Lawrence Kohlberg: Stage Theory of Moral Development
Enrique Vigil & Jorge Morales

2. Influences
“In his lectures and writings, he did much to help others appreciate the wisdom of the ‘old psychologists,’ writers such as Rousseau, John Dewey, and James Mark Baldwin.” (Crain, Theories of Development)
While Kohlberg was in graduate school, he was very impressed by Piaget’s studies of moral judgment, though Piaget's work was incomplete, the two stage theory, would soon be Kohlberg's six stages.
“Piaget, Kohlberg saw, was talking to children about fundamental matters in moral philosophy and was drawing out their real thinking.” (Crain, Theories of Development)
Piaget's stages of moral judgment will then help form Kohlberg's Method

3. Basic Bio
Lawrence Kohlberg (October 25, January 19,1987) was an American Psychologist
Kohlberg grew up in Bronxville, New York
Kohlberg attended Andover Academy in Massachusetts (academically demanding private High School)
Instead of going straight to college, went to help the Israeli cause
Kohlberg then served as the second engineer on an old freighter carrying European refugees through British blockades to Israel

4. Education and achievements
Kohlberg focused on moral development and provided a stage theory of moral thinking that goes well beyond Piaget’s initial formulations
In 1948, Kohlberg enrolled at the University of Chicago
Kohlberg scored so high on his admissions tests, he only had to take a limited number of courses to earn his bachelor's degree ( he did this in one year)
Kohlberg then continued graduate school at Chicago, as he worked in psychology, at first thinking he would become a clinical psychologist, would then become interested in Piaget (began interviewing children and adolescents on moral issues)
Result: Doctoral Dissertation (1958)
Taught at University of Chicago
Taught at Harvard University
Unfortunately, Kohlberg suffered from a tropical disease (parasitic infection) and depression (intense pain during his last 20 years of life).. At age 59, he committed suicide, COD: Drowning

5. Heinz Dilemma Heinz Steals the Drug
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 $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost, he told the druggist that his wife was dying and asking 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 Heinz got desperate and broke into the mans store to steal the drug for his wife. Should the husband have done that? (Kohlberg,1963,p.19)

6. Kohlberg’s Method
(1958) core sample of 72 boys from middle and lower class families in Chicago were taken
Ages: 10, 13, and 16
The interviews consisted of various dilemmas (Ex. Heinz dilemma)
Kohlberg was not interested in whether the subject said “yes” or “no”
But was interested in the reasoning behind the answer
The interviewer wants to know why the subject thinks Heinz should or should not have stolen the drug
Kohlberg then classifies the responses into stages

7. Level I: Preconventional Morality
Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation
“Kohlberg’s stage 1 is similar to Piaget’s first stage of moral thought. The child assumes that powerful authorities hand down a fixed set of rules that he or she must unquestioningly obey… The concern is with what authorities permit and punish.” (Crain, Theories of Development)

8. Level I- Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange
Individualism: “At this stage children recognize there is not just one right view handed down by the authorities. Different individuals have different viewpoints.” (Crain, Theories of Development)
Exchange: “There is a notion of fair exchange or fair deals… ‘If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” (Crain, Theories of Development)

9. Level II: Conventional Morality
Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships
“At this stage children- who are by now usually entering their teens- see morality as more than simple deals. They believe 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.” (Crain, Theories of Development)
Expectations

10. Level II- Stage 4: Society Maintaining Orientation
“Moral action is motivated by anticipation of dishonor; that is, institutionalized blame for failures of duty, and by guilt over concrete harm done to others” (Kohlberg, 1981)
This stage has an orientation towards authority, rules, and the maintenance of social order.

11. Level III- Postconventional (Principled) Level
This level has “a clear effort to define moral values and principles that have validity and application apart from the authority of the groups or people holding these principles and apart from the individual’s own identification with these groups.” (Kohlberg, 1981)
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27, New International Version)

12. Level III- Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation
“Right action tends to be defined in terms of general individual rights and in terms of standards that have been critically examined and agreed on by the whole society.” (Kohlberg, 1981)

13. Level III- Stage 6: Universal Principles
Decisions are determined by the conscience which functions based on personal ethical principles that are logically comprehensive, universal, and consistent.

14. Summary of Six Stages:
Stage 1- Children think of what is right as what authority says is right and to avoid punishment
Stage 2- Children see different sides to an issue and seek self-interest
Stage 3- Children emphasize being a good person (helpful motives toward people)
Stage 4- Children shift to obeying laws to maintain society as a whole
Stage 5- Emphasize basic rights and the democratic processes that give everyone a say
Stage 6- Define the principles by which agreements will be most just

15. Hypothesis
Kohlberg suggested that moral judgment does not develop through maturation or socialization (can not be taught new ways of thinking)*
Instead development follows a Piagetian model of Assimilation and Accommodation
Our hypothesis challenges this idea and explores if socialization (i.e. parental instruction) affects moral development.

16. Parental Instruction and Moral Measurement
Our study used two instruments for gathering pertinent data.
The “Parental Authority Questionnaire” (PAQ)
Kohlberg’s Joe Dilemma

17. PAQ
The PAQ was used primarily to examine what kind of parental instruction the parents might use; whether the children were encouraged to obey rules for the sake of obedience or to evaluate rules in order to further understand them and their necessity.*

18. PAQ
Permissive: A “permissive” parent would suggest a parent has little presence in instructing their children which, according to our hypothesis, would prolong development.
As I was growing up my parent(s) allowed me to form my own point of view on family matters and they generally allowed me to decide for myself what I was going to do.
Authoritarian: An “authoritarian” parent would suggest a parent that encourages their children to follow the rules for the sake of obedience.
As I was growing up I knew what my parent(s) expected of me in the family and they insisted that I conform to those expectations simply out of respect for their authority.
Flexible: A “flexible” parent would suggest a parent that encourages rule evaluation.
My parent(s) had clear standards of behavior for the children in our home as I was growing up, but they were willing to adjust those standards to the needs of each of the individual children in the family.

19. Data PAQ Data: Permissive (P) Authoritarian (A) Flexible (F) G1 37 3338 G2 32 42 G3 29 46 G4 36 35 B1 26 B2 25 31

20. The Joe Dilemma
Joe is a 14-year-old boy who wanted to go to camp very much. His father promised him he could go if he saved up the money for it himself. So Joe worked hard at his paper route and saved up the $100 it cost to go to camp and a little more besides. But just before camp was going to start, his father changed his mind. Some of his friends decided to go on a special fishing trip, and Joe’s father was short of the money it would cost. So he told Joe to give him the money he saved from the paper route. Joe didn’t want to give up going to camp, so he thinks of refusing to give his father the money.

21. Interview Questions Should Joe refuse to give his father the money?
Why or why not.
Does the father have the right to tell Joe to give him the money
Why or why not?

22. Data Interview Data: 1st Question Stage 2nd Question Stage
Overall Stage G1
Stage 2
Stage 1
Stage 2 Pre-C G2
Stage 2/3
Stage 4
Stage 3/4 C G3
Stage 3
Stage 3 C G4
N/A
Stage 1 Pre-C B1 B2

23. Interpretation Overall Stage PAQ Score G1 Stage 2 38 Flexible G2
36 Permissive/36 Flexible B1
37 Authoritarian B2
31 Flexible

24. Limitations “Faulty”/insufficient data Inexperience
PAQ is based on the children’s perception of their parents

25. Nature V Nurture Nature Nurture
“development of cognitive structure is the result of processes of interaction… rather than being the direct result of maturation or the direct result of learning…” (Kohlberg, 1984)
Nature
Nurture

26. Conclusion
It is possible that moral development can be affected by parental instruction, however, there is not a significant amount of data to draw a concrete conclusion.

27. Sources
Buri, J. R. (1991). Parental Authority Questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment, 57(1), doi: /s jpa5701_13
Colby, A., & Kohlberg, L. (1987). The measurement of moral judgement (Vol. 2). Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Crain, W. (1992). Theories of development: concepts and applications (6th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Kohlberg, L. (1958). The development of modes of moral thinking and choice in the years 10 to 16 (Doctoral dissertation).
Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on moral development / the philosophy of moral development. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.
Kohlberg, L. (1984). Essays on moral development / the psychology of moral development. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.