Human Growth and Development / Unit 8 HGD 1074 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Kohlberg's Three Levels
The idea
Kohlberg described three levels, each with two stages. Preconventional reasoning, typical under about ten, rests on avoiding punishment and on gaining reward or exchange. Conventional reasoning rests on social approval and social rules: stage three seeks to be seen as good and to please others, and stage four upholds laws and formal rules to maintain social order. Postconventional reasoning rests on internal principles: stage five on the social contract and individual rights, stage six on universal ethical principles such as justice and the value of life. Conventional reasoning is typical of older children, adolescents and most adults.
In practice
Three answers for Heinz: "he'll go to jail," preconventional; "a good husband would, but the law says no," conventional; "life matters more than property," postconventional.
Where people slip
The misconception is that the conventional level is only about approval. It has two stages, and the second, law and order, is about keeping rules because society depends on them. Exam items often describe reasoning about what others will think, or about obeying the law, and expect the conventional level.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Human Growth and Development