- Born:
- October 25, 1927, Bronxville, New York, U.S.
- Died:
- January 17, 1987, Boston, Massachusetts (aged 59)
- Subjects Of Study:
- child development
Lawrence Kohlberg
-
Who was Lawrence Kohlberg?
Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987) was an American psychologist and educator celebrated for his theory of moral development.
Kohlberg's cognitive theory, influenced by Jean Piaget, explores the reasoning behind moral decisions, rather than the decisions themselves. He presented moral dilemmas to children, like the scenario of a poor man stealing medicine for his dying wife, and used their responses as the basis for his six-stage theory.
His theory outlines three levels of moral development: preconventional, conventional, and postconventional, each with two stages. Although influential, his work faced criticism, notably from Carol Gilligan, who argued it overlooked moral development patterns in girls. Plagued by physical illness and depression stemming from a parasitic infection, Kohlberg committed suicide in 1987.
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What field of psychology is Lawrence Kohlberg known for?
Lawrence Kohlberg is best known for his work in the field of moral development. His theory is a comprehensive stage theory of moral development based on Jean Piaget's theory of moral judgment for children and focuses on the thinking process behind deciding if a behavior is right or wrong.
Kohlberg's research involved presenting moral dilemmas to children and analyzing their responses to develop his six-stage theory. His theory posits that individuals progress through stages, from preconventional (avoiding punishment or making deals), to conventional (seeking approval or following rules), and finally to postconventional morality based on abstract ethical principles. Though influential in psychology and education, his work faced criticism, notably from Carol Gilligan, for neglecting distinct patterns in girls' moral development.
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What theory did Lawrence Kohlberg develop?
Lawrence Kohlberg, an American psychologist and educator, is known for his theory of moral development. The cognitive theory emphasizes the thinking process behind deciding if a behavior is right or wrong, focusing on how one responds to a moral dilemma rather than the decision itself.
Kohlberg's framework consists of six sequential stages of complexity, organized into three general levels of moral development. These stages are preconventional, conventional, and postconventional. His work, highly influential in psychology and education, broke ground by concentrating on cognitive phenomena during a time when most psychologists were behaviorists. However, his theory has faced criticism, notably from Carol Gilligan, for ignoring distinct patterns of moral development in girls.
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What are the main stages in Kohlberg's theory of moral development?
Lawrence Kohlberg was an American psychologist known for his theory of moral development, which is based on Jean Piaget's theory of moral judgment for children. Kohlberg's theory has six stages organized into three levels of moral development.
- Preconventional level: Morality is externally controlled, and behaviour is determined by consequences. Rules are conformed to in order to avoid punishment or receive rewards.
- Conventional level: Conformity to social rules is important. The individual strives to support rules to win approval or maintain social order.
- Postconventional level: The individual moves beyond the perspective of their own society, and morality is defined in terms of abstract principles and values that apply to all situations and societies.
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How did Kohlberg study people's moral reasoning?
Lawrence Kohlberg studied moral reasoning by presenting moral dilemmas to 72 lower- and middle-class white boys, such as whether a poor man should steal medicine for his dying wife.
Based on their responses, Kohlberg developed a six-stage theory of moral development. In the preconventional stages, children see right acts as those avoiding punishment or resulting in a fair deal. In the conventional stages, right acts gain others' approval or fulfill duties and societal rules. In the postconventional stages, individuals are guided by respect for laws and moral rules or abstract ethical principles.
Kohlberg's work, focusing on cognitive processes in moral decisions, significantly influenced psychology and education but faced criticism for potentially ignoring distinct patterns of moral development in girls.
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How has Kohlberg's theory influenced education and psychology today?
Lawrence Kohlberg, an American psychologist and educator, is known for his theory of moral development, which has greatly influenced both psychology and education. His cognitive theory emphasizes the thinking process behind deciding whether a behavior is right or wrong, rather than the decision itself.
Kohlberg's theory introduced a detailed explanation of children’s moral development, a significant contribution during a time when behaviorism dominated psychology, by focusing on cognitive phenomena. The theory outlines six stages of moral development, grouped into three levels. Although influential, his work has faced criticism, notably from Carol Gilligan, who argued that it did not consider the different patterns of moral development seen in girls.
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Lawrence Kohlberg (born October 25, 1927, Bronxville, New York, U.S.—died January 17, 1987, Boston, Massachusetts) was an American psychologist and educator known for his theory of moral development.
Kohlberg was the youngest of four children of Alfred Kohlberg, a successful silk merchant of Jewish ancestry, and Charlotte Albrecht Kohlberg, a Protestant and a skilled amateur chemist. When the couple divorced in 1932 after 11 years of marriage, each of the children was required by a court order to choose which parent he or she would live with. The two younger children chose their father and the older ones chose their mother.
Kohlberg graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1945. After serving in the U.S. merchant marine, he worked on a ship that had been hired by Haganah, the Zionist military organization, to smuggle Jewish war refugees into Palestine, past the British blockade. The ship was intercepted, however, and Kohlberg was imprisoned in a British internment camp in Cyprus. Returning to the U.S. in 1948, he enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he completed a B.A. in psychology in one year and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1958. He subsequently held teaching positions at various institutions before settling at Harvard University in 1968.
While pursuing his doctoral degree, Kohlberg became interested in Jean Piaget’s work on the moral development of children. According to Piaget, children naturally progress from a form of moral reasoning based on the consequences of an act (e.g., punishment) to one that takes the actor’s intentions into account. Kohlberg interviewed 72 lower- and middle-class white boys, presenting each with a moral dilemma: whether it would be permissible for a poor man to steal medicine for his dying wife. The children’s responses became the basis of his six-stage theory of moral development.
In stages 1 and 2, which he called preconventional, the child conceives of right acts as those that enable him to avoid punishment (stage 1) or to make a good or fair deal (stage 2). In the conventional stages, 3 and 4, right acts are those that gain the approval of others (stage 3) or that consist of doing one’s duty or following society’s rules (stage 4). Finally, in the postconventional stages, 5 and 6, the child is guided by respect for laws and moral rules (stage 5)—though he recognizes them as somewhat arbitrary and not always valid—or by abstract ethical principles such as justice and equality (stage 6). According to Kohlberg, stage 6 is only rarely achieved.
Kohlberg’s theory was highly influential, especially in psychology and education. No other account had provided such a detailed explanation of children’s moral development. Moreover, during a time when most psychologists were behaviorists, Kohlberg’s work broke new ground by concentrating on cognitive phenomena. His theory also received much criticism, however, most notably from the American psychologist Carol Gilligan, who argued that it ignored the distinct patterns of moral development exhibited by girls.
In 1971, while doing research in Belize, Kohlberg reportedly contracted a parasitic infection that caused him to be physically ill and depressed through much of the rest of his life. In 1987, he committed suicide.
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