1. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development:
A system to study character development in literature

2. A Sociological Approach to Criticism
Looking at the Adam and Eve/Cain and Abel is looking at Archetypal patterns
Looking at Theories of Morality is an approach from lens of morality
An allegorical painting representing charity….a virtue revered by society

3. Why we will look at Kohlberg
To compare and contrast character behavior
To illuminate more fully our understanding of the text
To analyze and evaluate character behavior
To view character motivation from a cultural/ethical point of origin

4. Preconventional Stages
Stage Zero –Pre-Moral
Stage One – Simple Authority Orientation
Stage Two – Instrumental Relativist

5. Stage Zero 4% of society never moves beyond this point
Pleasure-Pain determine behavior (think of the child touching the stove)
No sense of obligation or morality
Not immoral, but amoral (without)
Take what is pleasant; avoid what is unpleasant
Person guided only by what he can and wants to do

6. Stage One: Simple Authority Orientation
Think Machiavelli’s Prince/Robert Bruce in the film Braveheart
Obedience-and-punishment
Physical consequences determine good/bad behavior
Deference to superior power or prestige
Authority figure determines standards
Responsive to rules

7. Stage Two: Instrumental Relativist
Naively egoistic orientation (self-centered in a naïve way)
Instrumentally satisfying needs of self (occasionally others)
Equal sharing, exchange, reciprocity, fairness (children playing with toys…if you loan me your Barbie, I’ll be your best friend)
Eye for Eye, same for all, treat all the same
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours (not centered in loyalty or concern, but fair) Think politicians/spies etc.

8. Conventional Moral Stages Stages 3 and 4
Stage Three – Interpersonal concordance or Good Boy/Nice Girl Orientation
Stage Four – Law and Order

9. Stage Three: Interpersonal Concordance
Being nice, approval, pleasing a limited group are important (think of the groups of students in teen movies like Mean Girls or Never Been Kissed
Consider own feelings (conscience) and feelings of others
Put oneself in other’s shoes
Stereotypes of right behavior of majority
Intentions (“he means well…”) become important
Teenagers often find themselves here

10. Stage Four: Law and Order
Orientation toward authority and maintenance of the social order
Maintain the given social order for its own sake
Doing duty
Rigid: fixed rules hard to change (imagine the person at the broken stop light who won’t go even if there is not a car in sight)
Respect for authority and majority rule
70-80% of adults peak here

11. Post-Conventional Stage 5, 6, and the nebulous 7
Post-Conventional Stage 5, 6, and the nebulous 7 20% adult population may reach
Stage Five – Social Contract
Stage Six – Ethical Principle
Stage Seven – Nebulous/God on Earth

12. Stage Five: Social Contract
Legalistic orientation
Standards critically examined and socially agreed upon
Constitutional and democratic (ideals which guided our founding fathers)
Legalistic but law can be changed for benefit of society
Individual rights respected except when contrary to constitutionally agreed rights
Personal values respected
Utilitarian
Moral values defined in terms of individual rights and standards agreed upon by the society (pants issues in Atlanta right now)
Consensus rather than majority
“Official” Morality of our country

13. Stage Six – Ethical Principle
Guided by self chosen principle
Orientation to principles above social rules Jean Valjean, Ghandi, MLK, George Washington, Erwin Rommel and Robert E. Lee are examples
Principles appeal to logical university and consistency
Justice with individual dignity
Obedience or disobedience to law based on moral respect for justice
Saints, ascetics, people who die for a cause

14. Stage Seven – Out of this world
Christ on Earth….we don’t see this in our world…
This would be a person of undescribed morality
Sometimes you see Kohlberg’s theory list a 7 and sometimes it goes only to 6…it is a nebulous area.

15. Movement through Kohlberg
Each person’s moral reasoning develops through the stages outlined
Stages can’t be skipped; progress occurs only one at a time
Some people go farther and faster than others
Once can only comprehend all stages up to and including his present stage.
Given the right circumstances, one can understand and operate at a moral level immediately above the present level
Moral reasoning more than one stage higher cannot be fully comprehended

16. Movement….cont.
One tends to prefer the next stage as he understands it
Moral reasoning stages lower than that attained will be understood but rejected; they do not affect behavior or persuade the thinking of the individual
Moral development is always progressive – regression does not occur; once higher level is attained it is never lost and movement continues forward
Moral development is not automatic; it may be arrested at any stage
A person may be in transition between stages
When one is “in stage” at least 50% of his responses are typical of that stage, with some higher and some lower
The sequence of stages does not vary with culture, social class, or religion; these factors may affect speed of movement or stages typical of a given age.

17. The process of moral development can be stimulated by:
Experience of moral conflict or dilemmas
Exchange of different views
Exposure to next higher level or moral reasoning……
We can see these things in literature…and this should stimulate conversation and thought