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KEY POINTS
Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on the earlier work of cognitive theorist Jean Piaget to explain the moral
development of children, which he believed follows a series of stages.
Kohlberg defined three levels of moral development: preconventional, conventional, and

postconventional. Each level has two distinct stages.
During the preconventional level, a child’s sense of morality is externally controlled. Children accept and
believe the rules of authority figures, such as parents and teachers, and they judge an action based on
its consequences.
During the conventional level, an individual’s sense of morality is tied to personal and societal
relationships. Children continue to accept the rules of authority figures, but this is now because they
believe that this is necessary to ensure positive relationships and societal order.
During the postconventional level, a person’s sense of morality is defined in terms of more abstract
principles and values. People now believe that some laws are unjust and should be changed or
eliminated.
Kohlberg’s theory has been criticized for its cultural and gendered bias toward white, upper-class men
and boys. It also fails to account for inconsistencies within moral judgments.
TERM
moralityRecognition of the distinction between good and evil or between right and wrong; respect for
and obedience to the rules of right conduct; the mental disposition or characteristic of behaving in a
manner intended to produce good results.
FULL TEXT
Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on the earlier work of cognitive theorist Jean Piaget to explain the moral
development of children. Kohlberg believed that moral development, like cognitive development,
follows a series of stages. He used the idea of moral dilemmas—stories that present conflicting ideas
about two moral values—to teach 10 to 16 year-old boys about morality and values. The best known
moral dilemma created by Kohlberg is the “Heinz” dilemma, which discusses the idea of obeying the law
versus saving a life. Kohlberg emphasized that it is the way an individual reasons about a dilemma that
determines positive moral development.
After presenting people with various moral dilemmas, Kohlberg reviewed people’s responses and placed
them in different stages of moral reasoning. According to Kohlberg, an individual progresses from the
capacity for pre-conventional morality (before age 9) to the capacity for conventional morality (early
adolescence), and toward attaining post-conventional morality (once Piaget’s idea of formal operational
thought is attained), which only a few fully achieve. Each level of morality contains two stages, which
provide the basis for moral development in various contexts.
Kohlberg’s stages of moral development
Kohlberg identified three levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-
conventional. Each level is associated with increasingly complex stages of moral development.
Level 1: Preconventional
Throughout the preconventional level, a child’s sense of morality is externally controlled. Children
accept and believe the rules of authority figures, such as parents and teachers. A child with pre-
conventional morality has not yet adopted or internalized society’s conventions regarding what is right
or wrong, but instead focuses largely on external consequences that certain actions may bring.
Stage 1: Obedience-and-Punishment Orientation
Stage 1 focuses on the child’s desire to obey rules and avoid being punished. For example, an action is
perceived as morally wrong because the perpetrator is punished; the worse the punishment for the act
is, the more “bad” the act is perceived to be.
Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation
Stage 2 expresses the “what’s in it for me?” position, in which right behavior is defined by whatever the
individual believes to be in their best interest. Stage two reasoning shows a limited interest in the needs
of others, only to the point where it might further the individual’s own interests. As a result, concern for
others is not based on loyalty or intrinsic respect, but rather a “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch
yours” mentality. An example would be when a child is asked by his parents to do a chore. The child asks
“what’s in it for me?” and the parents offer the child an incentive by giving him an allowance.
Level 2: Conventional
Throughout the conventional level, a child’s sense of morality is tied to personal and societal
relationships. Children continue to accept the rules of authority figures, but this is now due to their
belief that this is necessary to ensure positive relationships and societal order. Adherence to rules and
conventions is somewhat rigid during these stages, and a rule’s appropriateness or fairness is seldom
questioned.
Stage 3: Good Boy, Nice Girl Orientation
In stage 3, children want the approval of others and act in ways to avoid disapproval. Emphasis is placed
on good behavior and people being “nice” to others.
Stage 4: Law-and-Order Orientatio

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KEY POINTS

Kohlberg defined three levels of moral development: preconventional, conventional, and

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development

Stage 1: Obedience-and-Punishment Orientation

Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation

Stage 3: Good Boy, Nice Girl Orientation

Stage 4: Law-and-Order Orientatio

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