Transcript Kohlberg`s Stages of Moral Development

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
Development
Kohlberg’s Moral Dilemma
• In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of
cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might
save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same
town had recently discovered. the drug was expensive to make,
but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him
to make. He paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a
small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went
to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal
means, but he could only get together about $2,000, which is
half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying,
and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the
druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make
money from it." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets
desperate and considers breaking into the man's store to steal
the drug for his wife.
• Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not?
Who was Lawrence Kohlberg?
1927 - 1983
• Born in New York City in
1927.
• Graduated from the
University of Chicago in
one year.
• Attended Yale and
earned a PhD in
psychology.
• Became fascinated by
moral development in
children.
• Theorized six stages of
human moral
development.
Stage #1:Obedience and
Punishment Orientation
• Morality is based upon the
physical punishment that
follows an action, rather than
right or wrong.
• The concern is for self - "Will I
get into trouble for doing (or
not doing) it?"
• Good behavior is associated
with avoiding punishment.
EX: The child won’t grab the
candy at the supermarket for
fear of being spanked.
Stage #2: Relativist Orientation
• The concern is "What's in
it for me?" Action is
judged right if it helps in
satisfying one's needs or
involves a fair exchange.
EX: A mother tells her child:
“If you are quiet at the
mall, I will buy you an ice
cream.”
Stage #3: Good Boy/Nice Girl
Orientation
• People should live up to
the expectations of the
family and community and
behave in "good" ways.
• Good behavior means
having good motives and
interpersonal feelings such
as love & empathy.
EX: Volunteering at a nursing
home is the right thing to
do.
Stage #4: Law and Order
Orientation
• While stage three actions are
more concerned with pleasing
your family, stage four is
associated with following
society as a whole.
• Emphasis is spent on obeying
laws to maintain social order.
EX: If you drink and drive your
endangering the lives of others
on the road, not just yourself.
Stage #5: Social Contract
Orientation
•
At stage 4, people want to keep
society functioning. However, a
smoothly functioning society is not
necessarily a good one. Nazi
Germany was a well organized
society, but nine million were
murdered in the process.
•
At stage 5, people begin to ask,
"What makes for a good society?"
– They begin to think about
society considering the rights
and values that a society
ought to uphold.
EX: It is important for the
world to stop the killing in
Darfur because we are
morally obligated to stop
genocide.
Stage #6: Universal Ethical
Principal Orientation
• As human beings we are
obligated to live by the
principal that “all men are
created equal” regardless of
race, religion, sexual
orientation, or political belief.
• Justice is universal, so unjust
laws must be broken.
• EX: Rosa Parks refused to sit
in the back of the bus because
it was an unjust law
discriminating against African
Americans.
Other Dilemmas to Consider