1. KOHLBERG’S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT MRS. PELLETIER ENGLISH 3

2. MORAL DEVELOPMENT  Moral development is the gradual development of an individuals concept of right or wrong – conscious, religious values, social attitudes and certain behavior.

3. KOHLBERG’S THEORY  Developed stages of moral development that everyone goes through  In order to move from one stage to another, a person must notice a deficiency in the way he/she deals with moral dilemmas  People cannot understanding moral reasoning any more than one stage beyond their development  Contains 3 levels:  Pre-conventional  Conventional  Post-conventional

4. PRE-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 1: OBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT  Most common in young children  See rules as fixed and absolute  Obeying rules as a means of avoiding punishment

5. PRE-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 2: INDIVIDUALISM AND EXCHANGE  Account for individual points of view  Judge actions based on how they serve individual needs  Reciprocity is possible, but only if it serves one’s own interests

6. CONVENTIONAL STAGE 3: INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS  “good boy-good girl” orientation  Most common in teens  Focused on living up to social expectations and roles (of the family, community, etc.)  Good behavior means having good motives and interpersonal feelings (love, empathy, trust, and concern for others)

7. CONVENTIONAL STAGE 4: LAW AND SOCIAL ORDER  Focus on maintaining law and order and obeying laws  Guided by fear of punishment as in Stage 1, but are able to explain why and deliberate on the reasoning  Emphasized in education:  Must attend school  Must abide by the dress code

8. POST-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 5: SOCIAL CONTRACT AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS  people begin to account for the differing values, opinions, and beliefs of other people  Rules of law are important for maintaining a society, but members of the society should agree upon these standards

9. POST-CONVENTIONAL STAGE 6: UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES  based upon universal ethical principles and abstract reasoning  people follow these internalized principles of justice, even if they conflict with laws and rules

10. CONNECTION TO THE UNIT  Education:  Most people agree that the role of education should be to teach academics in preparation for a future career. What about teaching morality? Should that be the role of education as well? Why or why not?  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:  How does Huck’s sense of morality evolve?  Where does Huck learn his sense of morality?  Based on the novel, what does it mean to be educated?