1. Human Development Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

2. Kohlberg’s Levels and Stages • Three levels: • Preconventional, Conventional and Postconventional • Six stages: • Each level has 2 stages that underscore a level of “maturity” in reasoning

3. Preconventional Moral Reasoning • Stage 1: Avoid punishment • Ex. Keith won’t take the cookie because he does not want to have time out • Stage 2:Satisfying one’s need • Ex. Jake will take the cookie, knowing he risks punishment, because he wants it so much

4. Conventional Moral Reasoning • Stage 3: Seeks to win approval of others • Ex. In order to be seen as “cool”, Janice steals the mascara from Longs Drugs at the urging of her friends • Stage 4: moral decisions based on maintaining law and order • Ex. During the protests, Austin, refuses to join in the looting because he knows it is against the law

5. Postconventional Moral Reasoning • Stage 5: obedience to law based on personal values • Pre cannabis legalization, some parents broke the law to provide the drug for their sick children • Stage 6: moral decisions are based on individual conscience alone • Ex. Seeking universal justice and human rights for all (MLK, Ghandi, Malala Yousazfai)

6. Moral Reasoning from a gender perspective • Carol Gilligan: • The way boys and girls are socialized determine their moral reasoning • Girls are taught to empathize; boys a taught to think logically. Boys my seem to reason in the case of Heinz at a higher level than girls simply because of socialization.