Research Paper on "Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development"

Research Paper 4 pages (1319 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Kohlberg's Theory Of Moral Development

Domestic Violence

There is the growing belief that business activity, especially managerial work, involves ethical problems. With the growing belief that ethics is a very important part of business and corporate activity, "business ethics" had come to be a significant area of study in determining what is ethical in business -- and, of course, what is not. An ethical code of conduct in business is becoming more and more commonplace today. The point of these ethical codes are to reassure everyone involved in the business (in different areas -- from customers to employees, managers to suppliers) that the business and its people has a certain belief system in place. But how does one come about developing this ethical system? Where do these ethics come from? Kohlberg's theory of moral development helps us understand how people come to possess their morals, which affect the way that we behave on many different levels. Kohlberg's theory offers us an important orientation to not only the field of ethics, but it also offers us a framework in which to understand how ethics are developed beyond the simple "rule following" behavior.

Kohlberg's theory of moral development focused on the thought that human beings development both philosophically and psychologically in a progressive fashion -- that is, people progress in their moral reasoning (which translates into ethical behavior) through a series of stages. Kohlberg believed that there were six different stages, which can be classified into three distinct levels, in which people progressed. The first level, "pre-conventional," is made up of stage one and stage 2, "obedience and punishment," and "individualism, instrumentalism, and exchange," respectively. Level two, the "conventional" level, is made up of stage 3, "good boy/girl," and stage 4, "law and order." The third and final level, or the "post-conventional" level, encompasses stage 5, "social contract," and stage six, "principled conscience" (Barger 2000). Kohlberg's theory of moral development can be related to all sorts of ethics -- including administrative ethics -- as the stages are important for understanding how an individual comes to their moral reasoning, which then prompts them to act or behave in a certain way. Kohlberg believed that individuals must progress through the stages one at a time; in other words, there is no way to jump over a level. Though people may progress at different speeds through the levels, all people, if they are to reach the highest level of moral development, must go through each and every stage.

The first stage of Kohlberg's theory of moral development - the pre-conventional level -- is found in young, elementary school-aged children. In this stage, Kohlberg believed that individuals act depending on the socially acceptable norms (Barger 2000). They learn these norms through authoritative figures such as teachers and parents who tell them what is "right" and what is "wrong." Individuals learn to behave because of the threat of punishment if they do not behave obediently. The second stage of level one is all about gaining the perspective that it is in one's own best interests to act in an obedient way (2000).

The second level -- the conventional level -- of Kohlberg's theory is the level of moral reasoning that is generally found in society (Barger 2000) -- that is, Kohlberg believed that most people do not progress past this level. Most people stay in this stage -- a stage that has to do with wanting to get the approval of others and wanting to abide by the law and respond to one's obligations or duties (2000). "…most people are at the conventional level because the post-conventional level requires an uncommon commitment and contemplation" (Bowman, West & Beck 2010).

Most professionals strive to make decisions at the highest level of moral development. Bowman et al. (2010) claims that second-level thinking, the level where most people stop progressing, can be inadequate because there are some social rules that are not just (for example, law enforcement authorities in… READ MORE

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