Lawrence Kohlberg

Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) Kohlberg devised a cognitive theory about the development of children's moral reasoning. He used the following story in his research: 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 pharmacist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the pharmacist was charging 10 times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could raise only about $1,000--half the amount he needed. He told the pharmacist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the pharmacist rejected the man's plea saying that he had discovered the drug and intended to make money from it. Heinz became desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife. (Adapted from Kohlberg, 1969, p. 379) Good story, no? But based upon this story, Kohlberg devised his theory of moral development. Stages 1-2 are known as the Preconventional Level Stages 3-4 are known as the Conventional Level Stages 5-6 are known as the Postconventional Level

Stage	Moral Reasoning Goal	What is Right?
One Two	Avoiding Punishment Satisfying Needs	Doing what is necessary to avoid punishment. Doing what is necessary to satisfy one's needs.
Three Four	Winning Approval Law and Order	Seeking the approval of others using standards of right and wrong Moral judgements are based on maintaining order
Five Six	Social Order Universal Ethics	Obedience to accepted laws. Judgements based on personal values. Morality of individual conscience, not necessarily in agreement with others