Lawrence Kohlberg

• his general idea was that conscience was a behaviour that developed through social interaction
• he developed his theory by testing out moral dilemmas on people, to establish six stages of moral development, grouped into three levels
• what are the three levels or moral development?

  pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional
• pre-conventional level (typical of primary school children):

  • stage 1 is about obedience to socially accepted norms knowing that disobedience will result in punishment
  • at stage 2, individual behaviour is determined by what is in their best interests
• conventional level (typical of society):

  • stage 3 is the desire to do what will gain the approval of others
  • stage 4 is responding to what is seen as one's duty through obedience to the law
• post-conventional level (few people reach stage 6):

  • stage 5 reveals an understanding of social interaction and genuine interest in welfare of others
  • stage 6 is based on respect for universal principles and the demands of the individual conscience
• some might challenge kohlberg's understanding of conscience, following Hume's view that 'reason should be a slave of the passions'. they might see conscience more as the product of intuition