Lawrence Kohlberg was an American psychologist best known for his theory of stages of moral development. He believed that moral reasoning developed in six distinct stages. The stages progress from basic concepts of obedience and punishment, through social conformity, to post-conventional principles of justice. Kohlberg studied moral dilemmas to assess people's moral reasoning. His most famous example was the Heinz dilemma, where a man considers stealing a drug to save his wife's life. Kohlberg's stage theory had a significant influence on the field of psychology and education.

2. KOHLBERG’S THEORY
of MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
“Right action tends to be defined in terms of general
individual rights and standards that have been
critically examined and agreed upon by the whole
society. ’’
- Lawrence Kohlberg

3. • An ambiguous
situations that requires
a person to make
MORAL decisions.

4. Kohlberg’s Stages
of
Moral Development

5. Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg
1927-1987
Online Biography

6. Lawrence Kohlberg
 Born October 25, 1927 in Bronxville,
New York
 Attended the elite Andover Academy in
Massachusetts.
 Obtained his bachelor’s degree after
one year of study at the University of
Chicago in 1948
 Earned his doctoral degree in 1958
from the same university after writing
a dissertation outlining stage theory of
moral development

7. Lawrence Kohlberg
• Influenced by Jean Piaget's theories
of cognitive development in children.
• (1958) His doctoral dissertation on
the six stages of moral development
was published.
• Began teaching at Yale University in
1959.
• In 1962 he worked at University of
Chicago
• Then in 1968 he began his career at
Harvard University
• He was married with 2 sons
• Passed away at the age of 59 in 1987.

8. Kohlberg’s Stage Theory
• Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment
Orientation
• Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange
• Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships
• Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order
• Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual
Rights
• Stage 6: Universal Principles
Preconventional {
Conventional {
Postconventional {

9. Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment
Orientation
• There is a strict set of rules that must
always be followed
• The ideas of punishment and permission
are key
• Pre-conventional thought expressed

10. Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange
• Now there is not one right way of
doing things; everything is
relative
• Fair exchange policy
• The role of punishment weakens

11. Stage 3: Good Interpersonal
Relationships
• “Good Boy/Nice Girl” Orientation
• People should live up to the expectations
of community
• Characters’ traits and motives are
examined

12. Stage 4: Maintaining the Social Order
• There is an emphasis on obeying
laws, respecting authority, and
performing one’s duties so social
order is maintained
• Perspective changes to society as a
whole
• Not only does the child say a certain
action is right or wrong, they
explore the reasons why

13. Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual
Rights
• An individual’s moral
judgment is motivated
by community
respect, respecting
social order, and
respect for
legally/determined
laws
• Thoughts consider
the rights and values
a society must uphold

14. Stage 6: Universal Principles
• Involves universal
principles of justice
that apply to all
people
• We treat the particular
dilemma through
unbiased and
impartial eyes
• We can only reach
this stage by looking
at a situation through
someone else’s eyes

15. Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg
Level Stage Ages Social Orientation
Pre-Conventional 1 2-4 Obedience and Punishment
2 4-7 Individualism,
Instrumentalism
Conventional 3 7-10 Good Boy/Girl
4 10-12 Law and Order
Post-
Conventional 5 Teens Social Contract
6 Adult Principled Conscience

16. “The Heinz Dilemma”
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 $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a
small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband,
Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money
and tried every legal means, but he could only get
together about $2,000, which is half of what it cost. He
told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked
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, having tried every legal
means, Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking
into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.

17. “Heinz Dilemma”
1.Should Heinz steal the drug?
1a. Why or why not?
2. Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal
the drug?
2a. Why is it right or wrong?
3. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to
steal the drug?
3a. Why or why not?

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