Voiceover: Let's take a
look at Laurence Kohlberg.
So Laurence Kohlberg developed the moral
theory of development.
Now, this is much different than the other
three theorists that we talked about
earlier, but at
the same time, his theory was based upon
cognitive
development, so that's how it was similar
to Vygotsky's.
However, he looked at how people developed
their morals, versus their overall
development, emotional, physical
development throughout life.
So, Kohlberg hoped to discover the ways
in which moral reasoning changed as people
grew.
So the way he actually did this is
interesting.
He looked at children, which is, pretty
common among all
of the other theorists we talked about,
Vygotsky, Freud, and Erickson.
They all looked at children cuz obviously
that's where a lot of the most
fascinating development in growth occurs
in rapid
growth occurs, is during that adolescent
period.
So what Kohlberg did is he told a bunch of
children, many dilemma story situations.
So he told these stories to children of
all ages and he asked
many questions to discover how people
how people reasoned through these moral
issues.
So the most famous dilemma situation was
that of Mr. Heinz, some man in Europe.
And I'm just gonna narrate this story
quickly because it's a pretty famous
situation.
So, this is how the story goes.
Heinz's wife is dying from a particular
type of cancer.
Doctors said a new drug might save her,
and the drug had
been discovered by a local chemist, and
Heinz tried desperately to buy some.
But the chemist was charging ten times the
money it cost to
make the drug, and this was way more than
Heinz could afford.
So, Heinz could only raise half the money
even after help from his family and
friends.
So he explained to the chemist that his
wife
was dying and begged and asked her if he
could
have the drug for cheaper or at least pay
the money that he still owed at a later
time.
But the chemist refused.
He said that the drug he discovered was
going to be very profitable.
So Mr. Heinz was desperate to save his
wife.
So later that night, he broke into the
chemist's office, and stole the drug.
So this was the most famous dilemma.
And it's called the Heinz Dilemma.
And after he told this story to the
children, Kohlberg asked
them a series of questions, like should
Heinz have stolen the drug?
Would it change anything is Heinz did not
love his wife?
What if the person dying was a stranger,
would it make a difference?
And should the police arrest the chemist
for murder if the woman died?
So after compiling and analyzing all of
the responses that the children
gave Kohlberg analyzed three distinct
levels, of moral reasoning.
So the first of these is the
pre-conventional or the pre-moral stage.
The second is the conventional stage.
And the last is the post-conventional
stage.
So I've set this up kind of like a ladder.
I guess it looks more like a bunch of
steps, but think of this as the ladder of
morality.
So, Kohlberg said that people can only
pass through these levels in the order
listed.
So first have to go through these then
this, then this.
And each new stage replaces the reasoning
typical of the earlier stage.
And he also said that not everyone
achieves the last stage.
So the first level actually before I go
on, each
of these levels was then further split
into two levels.
So altogether there are six stages of
morality development.
So the first pre-moral stage.
Had the first level.
So the first level is obedience versus
punishment.
So, obviously this level deals with
children, people of a younger age.
So at this basic level, authority is
outside the
individual, and reasoning is based on
physical consequences of actions.
So children see rules as fixed and
absolute.
So obeying the rules is a means to avoid
punishment.
So if the child is good, they're going to
avoid being punished by their parent.
And if they are punished, that means they
must have done something wrong.
Now the second stage in this is called
individualism and exchange.
So,
let me write that out.
And in this stage basically, children
recognize that there is
not just one right view that is handed
down by the authorities.
So they start to understand that different
individuals have different viewpoints.
So after we pass through these two stages
we can
move up the ladder this way into the
conventional stage.
And at the conventional stage, there are
two more steps.
So, we can do this as step three.
So at this stage, authority is
internalized, but not questioned, and
reasoning
is based on the norm of the group to which
the person belongs.
So stage three is all about good boy.
And good girl.
Sounds kinda funny.
Not versus, but good boy and good girl.
So what I mean by this is that the child
or the individual
is good in order to be seen as being good
by other people.
So now they're taking it to other people's
thoughts into account.
So there's an emphasis on conformity.
So being nice and having that
consideration
of how choices influence our relationships
is important.
The fourth stage of morality is
maintaining social order.
So law and order.
And here the child becomes aware of the
wider rules of society.
So judgements, concern, obeying rules in
order
to uphold the law and to avoid guilt.
Its all about what society says at this
point.
So once we're past that, we can move on
even further into stage
three, which is split down further into
stages five and six.
So here, at stage five we have the social
contract.
So, in the post-conventional phase, or
stage,
individual judgement is based on
self-chosen principles.
So we're beyond law and order.
We're thinking at an even higher level,
and we're having higher moral reasoning.
It's based more on individual rights and
justice for the greater good.
So in the social contract step, the
individual becomes aware
that even though rules and laws exist for
the good of
the greater number of people, there are
times that this law
in order still may work against the
interest of particular people.
So the issues aren't always clear cut.
So for example in Heinz's dilemma, was the
protection
of life more important than breaking the
law against stealing?
Well according to people that reach this
level level five of the social contract.
Yes, the protection of life is more
important then breaking the law and
stealing.
Which is down here at level four.
So the rules of law are important for
maintaining
society, but members that reach this
level, realize that society
should also agree upon these standards and
that sometimes
the law must be broken to uphold these
higher morals.
And the sixth step, the last step, of
moral reasoning according
to Kohlberg, is based on the universal,
ethical principle.
So over here people at this stage develop
their own set
of moral guidelines which may or may not
fit the law.
So the principles apply to everyone such
as human rights, justice, and equality.
And the person who upholds and believes in
this wholeheartedly,
has to be prepared to act and defend these
principles.
Even if it means going against the rest of
society in the process.
And even if they have to obey consequences
of disapproval or imprisonment.
And Kohlberg believed that very few people
reach this stage.
So, actually can you think of a few people
in history, famous people that have
reached this stage?
I would think that Gandhi was one person
that reached that stage.
How many times was he put into prison?
What about Nelson Mandela, or even Martin
Luther King?
There are so many people, that believed in
these universal rights of
equality for all people, even if it went
against the law and order of the
society at that time, they still upheld
this and they were prepared to have to pay
the consequences that the law would put
against them, the restraints.
So they're the ones who had the highest
level of morality according to Kohlberg
