Kohlberg's stages of moral development

Two children both refuse to copy in a test. One says, "I'll get caught and punished." The other says, "It's unfair to the others who studied." The behaviour is identical. The thinking behind it is not. Lawrence Kohlberg built his theory on exactly this distinction: moral development is about how a person reasons about right and wrong, not what they finally do.

Kohlberg is named in the CTET syllabus with Piaget and Vygotsky. The standard question gives a child's reason for an action and asks which stage or level it shows. Once you know what each stage is "based on", these are among the most reliable marks in CDP.

The groundwork: Piaget on moral judgement

Kohlberg built on Piaget, who studied children's moral thinking by asking about the rules of games of marbles and about stories of wrongdoing. Piaget described two broad phases:

The classic story: one child breaks fifteen cups by accident while coming to dinner; another breaks one cup while trying to take jam without permission. A younger child usually says the first is naughtier, because more cups broke. An older child says the second, because of the intention.

Kohlberg's method

Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987) was an American psychologist. He presented moral dilemmas to a group of boys in the United States and followed many of them for about twenty years, classifying their answers by the reasoning used.

The best-known dilemma is the Heinz dilemma. Heinz's wife is dying of a rare cancer. A druggist in the town has found a drug that might save her but charges ten times what it costs to make. Heinz can raise only about half the price. The druggist refuses to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. Heinz breaks in and steals the drug. Should he have done that, and why?

A "yes" or "no" does not decide the stage. Two people can give the same answer at different stages, or different answers at the same stage.

Three levels, six stages

Stage 3 is also called the "good boy–good girl" orientation, and Stage 4 the "law and order" orientation. You may see either label in options.

How to classify a statement fast

• Is the reason about me, punishment or reward? Pre-conventional (1 or 2).
• Is it about what others think, or rules and duty? Conventional (3 or 4).
• Is it about principles that could justify changing a rule? Post-conventional (5 or 6).

Then split within the level: punishment is 1, exchange is 2; approval is 3, law is 4; agreed rights are 5, universal conscience is 6.

Features of the theory

• Reasoning, not behaviour, defines the stage.
• The stages come in a fixed sequence, and people do not skip stages.
• Progress depends on cognitive development and on experience of taking others' perspectives.
• Not everyone reaches the higher stages. Many adults reason mostly at the conventional level, and Kohlberg found Stage 6 reasoning very rare in his data.
• Young primary children mostly reason at the pre-conventional level; conventional reasoning becomes common from late childhood into adolescence.

Critical perspectives

• Carol Gilligan, in In a Different Voice (1982), argued that Kohlberg's scheme centres on justice and rights, and undervalues an ethics of care: reasoning based on relationships, responsibility and preventing harm. She also pointed out that the original sample was all male.
• Reasoning and action differ. People do not always act on their highest level of reasoning.
• Cultural bias. The higher stages reflect Western individualist values; community-centred reasoning in other cultures may be scored lower unfairly.
• Hypothetical dilemmas may not match the real moral problems children face.

What it means for a teacher

• Discuss dilemmas from children's own lives: finding lost money, a friend copying, sharing a prize. Ask for reasons, not just answers.
• Expose children to reasoning a little above their own. Classroom dilemma discussions studied by Kohlberg's colleagues suggested this helps reasoning move up a stage.
• Avoid relying only on reward and punishment. It keeps attention on Stage 1 and 2 reasons.
• Make rules with children and explain them, so rules become shared agreements.
• Model fairness, and value both justice and care.

Worked classroom questions

Scenario 1

A Class 4 child returns a lost pencil box and says, "I want my teacher and classmates to think I am a good, honest person." The reasoning is at:

(a) Stage 1 (b) Stage 3 (c) Stage 4 (d) Stage 5

Best answer: (b). The reason is approval and being seen as good by others. It is not about avoiding punishment (Stage 1), a personal deal (Stage 2) or keeping the law (Stage 4).

Scenario 2

A Class 8 student argues that a school rule barring some students from the library should be changed through the student council, because every student has a right to learn. The level is:

(a) pre-conventional (b) conventional (c) post-conventional (d) none

Best answer: (c). The rule is judged against a right, and change is sought through agreed procedure: Stage 5 thinking.

Scenario 3

To develop moral reasoning in Class 7, the most suitable method is to:

(a) make children memorise moral values
(b) reward children who follow rules and punish those who do not
(c) hold discussions on real-life dilemmas where children explain and question reasons
(d) show films on great leaders

Best answer: (c). Kohlberg's approach is to develop reasoning through discussion. Option (b) targets behaviour and keeps the focus on consequences.

Scenario 4

A child says, "I share my tiffin with my classmate because they share theirs with me." This shows:

(a) Stage 2 (b) Stage 3 (c) Stage 4 (d) Stage 6

Best answer: (a). Fair exchange, "you help me, I help you", is Stage 2.

Practice MCQs

Q1. Kohlberg's theory focuses mainly on:

(a) moral behaviour (b) moral reasoning (c) punishment (d) emotions

Q2. "I obey my parents so I won't be scolded." This reasoning is at:

(a) Stage 1 (b) Stage 2 (c) Stage 4 (d) Stage 5

Q3. "We must follow the law, or society will fall apart." This reflects:

(a) Stage 2 (b) Stage 3 (c) Stage 4 (d) Stage 6

Q4. Carol Gilligan criticised Kohlberg's theory for:

(a) ignoring cognitive development
(b) giving too little weight to an ethics of care
(c) having too many stages
(d) studying only adults

Q5. In Piaget's heteronomous stage, children judge an action mainly by its:

(a) intention (b) consequences (c) legality (d) usefulness

Q6. Which is true of Kohlberg's stages?

(a) Everyone reaches Stage 6
(b) Stages can be skipped
(c) They follow a fixed sequence
(d) They depend only on age

Q7. Which level involves reasoning based on social approval and rules?

(a) Pre-conventional (b) Conventional (c) Post-conventional (d) Autonomous

Answers

1. (b).
2. (a). Avoiding punishment.
3. (c). Maintaining social order.
4. (b).
5. (b). Autonomous children weigh intentions.
6. (c).
7. (b).

What to do next

• Write one statement for each of the six stages about a school situation, then classify a friend's set.
• Learn Piaget's cup-breaking story and what it shows.
• Revise how Kohlberg builds on Piaget's stages.
• Solve ten previous-year Kohlberg questions using the three-step classification above.