Introduction to Psychology

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moral development, Kohlberg posed moral dilemmas to children, teenagers, and adults, such as
the following:

A man’s wife is dying of cancer and there is only one drug that can save her. The only place to
get the drug is at the store of a pharmacist who is known to overcharge people for drugs. The
man can only pay $1,000, but the pharmacist wants $2,000, and refuses to sell it to him for less,
or to let him pay later. Desperate, the man later breaks into the pharmacy and steals the
medicine. Should he have done that? Was it right or wrong? Why? (Kohlberg, 1984) [23]

Video Clip: People Being Interviewed About Kohlberg’s Stages

As you can see in Table 6.5 "Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning", Kohlberg
concluded, on the basis of their responses to the moral questions, that, as children develop
intellectually, they pass through three stages of moral thinking: the preconventional level,
the conventional level, and the post conventional level.

Table 6.5 Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning
Age Moral Stage Description

Young children

Preconventional

morality

Until about the age of 9, children, focus on self-interest. At this stage, punishment

is avoided and rewards are sought. A person at this level will argue, “The man

shouldn’t steal the drug, as he may get caught and go to jail.”

Older children,
adolescents,
most adults

Conventional

morality

By early adolescence, the child begins to care about how situational outcomes

impact others and wants to please and be accepted. At this developmental phase,

people are able to value the good that can be derived from holding to social norms

in the form of laws or less formalized rules. For example, a person at this level may

say, “He should not steal the drug, as everyone will see him as a thief, and his wife,

who needs the drug, wouldn’t want to be cured because of thievery,” or, “No

matter what, he should obey the law because stealing is a crime.”

Many adults

Postconventional

morality

At this stage, individuals employ abstract reasoning to justify behaviors. Moral

behavior is based on self-chosen ethical principles that are generally

comprehensive and universal, such as justice, dignity, and equality. Someone with

self-chosen principles may say, “The man should steal the drug to cure his wife and

then tell the authorities that he has done so. He may have to pay a penalty, but at

least he has saved a human life.”