Kohlberg's moral development stages: an abstract analysis

Authors

  • Dr Rita PGT Biology, Education Department, Haryana

Keywords:

person, growth, Kohlberg

Abstract

The phases of moral growth of Lawrence Kohlberg represent an evolution of the psychological paradigm initially devised by Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist. Kohlberg started researching on this subject as an undergraduate student in psychology at Chicago University in 1958 and spread theory through his life. The theory suggests that moral reason, the basis for ethical behaviour, has six phases of progress which are each more suitable than their predecessor to respond to moral dilemmas. Kohlberg pursued the emergence of moral judgement well past the ages studied by Piaget, who also argued that logic and morality were developing in building phases. Expanding on Piaget's thesis, Kohlberg determined that the moral development process was mainly concerned with justice and continued throughout the person's life, which led to a debate of the metaphysical ramifications of such study.

References

Kohlberg, L. (1958). The Development of Modes of Thinking and Choices in Years 10 to 16. Ph. D. Dissertation, University of Chicago.

Kohlberg, L. (1984). The Psychology of Moral Development: The Nature and Validity of Moral Stages (Essays on Moral Development, Volume 2). Harper & Row

Piaget, J. (1932). The moral judgment of the child. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.

Rest, J. R. (1979). Development in judging moral issues. University of Minnesota Press.

Rosen, B. (1980). Moral dilemmas and their treatment. In, Moral development, moral education, and Kohlberg. B. Munsey (Ed). (1980), pp. 232-263. Birmingham, Alabama: Religious Education Press.

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Published

2018-03-30

How to Cite

Dr Rita. (2018). Kohlberg’s moral development stages: an abstract analysis. Innovative Research Thoughts, 4(2), 238–241. Retrieved from https://irt.shodhsagar.com/index.php/j/article/view/512