Level of moral reasoning

• Kohlberg proposed that people's decision and judgements about right and wrong can be identified in his stage theory of moral development- the higher the stage the more sophisticated the reasoning
• Kohlberg et al. used a moral dilemma technique and found criminal offenders tend to be at the pre conventional level- non-criminals progress to the conventional level and beyong
• Preconventional level is characterised by:

  • a need to avoid punishment and gain rewards
  • less mature, childlike reasoning

  Offenders may commit crime if they can get away with it or gain rewards (e.g. money, respect)
• Research shows that offenders are often self-centred (egocentric) and display poorer social perspective-taking skills
• Individuals who reason at a higher level tend to sympathise more and exhibit behaviours such as honesty, generosity and non-violence