moral development
Summary
Moral development is how a person's reasoning about right and wrong changes over time. In Kohlberg's theory it moves through three levels, preconventional, conventional and postconventional, and the stage is set by the reasoning given, not by the choice made.
Detail
Meaning: Moral development is how a person's reasoning about right and wrong changes over time. In Kohlberg's theory, reasoning moves through an ordered sequence of three levels, each with two stages, as cognition and social experience mature.
Preconventional (stages 1–2): right is what avoids punishment, then what serves one's own interests. Conventional (stages 3–4): right is what earns approval, then what obeys laws and keeps social order. Postconventional (stages 5–6): laws are social contracts that can be changed, and judgment rests on universal principles such as justice. Not everyone reaches the postconventional level.
On the MCAT: A passage gives a dilemma, such as the Heinz dilemma (stealing a drug to save a dying spouse), and a person's justification. You name the level. "I'd go to jail" is preconventional, "stealing is illegal" is conventional, and "life outweighs property" is postconventional.
Common confusion: Students sort by the choice, steal or not. Kohlberg scored the reasoning, so one choice can come from different stages. Conventional means tied to society's rules, not typical. Gilligan criticized the theory for favoring justice over care-based reasoning.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Development Through the Lifespan (Berk)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.