Briefly describe the six stages of moral development proposed by Kohlberg, and relate them to Piaget's four stages of cognitive development

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Kohlberg proposed a six-stage theory of moral development, beginning in early childhood with the "obedience and punishment" orientation. During this period, children reason according to the notion that appropriate behavior is determined by an absolute authority figure. The next stage is "egocentric" orientation, during which children's moral reasoning is guided by whichever goals or outcomes provide the most benefit. The third stage is the "good-child" orientation. In this stage, children reason according to the idea that they should live up to the expectations of others. In the fourth stage, "authority and social order," the child reasons that rules are created to benefit the social group as whole, and must be followed. During the fifth stage, "contractual-legalistic" orientation, which begins in the teen years, children and young adults reason that while laws and rules are created to benefit the group, they can also be changed as needed over time. Finally, the sixth stage is "conscience or principle" orientations. In this stage, adolescents and adults believe that morals are determined by a set of universal ethical principles, which may be more important than particular laws. Kohlberg proposed that Piaget's preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages were "prerequisites" for his own stages. In particular, the preoperational stage was a prerequisite for Kohlberg's Stages 1 and 2, the concrete operational stage was a prerequisite for Kohlberg's Stages 3 and 4, and finally, the formal operational stage was a prerequisite for Kohlberg's Stages 5 and 6.