Kholberg Moral Reasoning

Lawrence Kholberg believed that moral reasoning was not fully established by the ages 10-11 as Jean Piaget had originally proposed. In fact, Kholberg theorized that moral development had a lengthier and much more difficult progress (Robbins et al., 2012, p. 277). Like Piaget, he believed that each stage is connected and builds upon to apply moral reasoning throughout many different circumstances. However, there is no direct link between age and ethical perceptive (Robbins et al., 2012, p. 277). His theory entails of three levels of moral reasoning with two sub stages and must be achieved in this order, is not always accomplished by individuals according to Kohlberg. First level is the pre-conventional level (birth to age 9. During the first stage of obedience and punishment, children follow rules to a avoid …show more content…
277). Second level is the conventional level (ages 9-15). While in third stage of good boy/nice girl orientation, children conform to rules to receive approval from their peers. In stage four of authority-maintaining morality, individuals want to avoid criticism from authority figures, in so they conform to social regulations rather than personal standards (Robbins et al., 2012, p. 277). The final level is the post-conventional level (ages 16-onward). In stage 5 of contractual legalistic orientation, people understand that there are different opinions out there on what is right and wrong and that laws are just social contract based on majority decision. Sometimes during this stage, people disobey rules if they do not find them consistent with their personal values and will argue if they argue if they are not working. The last stage is universal ethical principle orientation; people can emphasize and have abstract reasoning. To add, they will follow universal ethical principles regardless of what the laws and rules