Kohlberg on Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg was a developmental theorist of the mid-twentieth century who is best known for his specific and detailed theory of children’s moral development. Kohlberg's six stage theory of moral development borrows heavily from Piaget's earlier work. According to Kohlberg’s theory, moral development proceeds in a linear, step-wise fashion – i.e. moral development proceeds gradually from one stage to the next, in a ordered sequence. Although Kohlberg recognized each child progressed through these stages at different rates, and acknowledged that some youth may never reach the highest stages, his theory does not account for regression back to former, previously mastered stages. Some adolescents will move on to next highest level of maturity where moral decisions are made based on what they believe is best for the larger society. Finally, a few adolescents may reach the highest level of moral development, where moral decisions are guided by a set of ethical principles that may even supersede commonly accepted rules and laws. 

Kohlberg believed that by early adolescence most youth have reached the mid-level of moral reasoning called the Conventional Level. At this level, morality is determined by social norms. Younger adolescents are heavily influenced by the opinions of other people and governed largely by social norms. These rules and social conventions are those that are explicitly or implicitly agreed upon by the group of people surrounding the young adolescent. The Convention Level is further subdivided in stage three and stage four. Stage three is called the morality of interpersonal cooperation where moral decisions are made by anticipating how a moral decision would be judged by other influential group members. Adolescents in this stage base their moral decisions on whether or not their decisions would win the approval of those people whose opinions matter to them. This is the stage where adolescents are likely to engage in risky behaviours as a result of peer pressure. Stage four is called the social-order-maintaining orientation. At this stage, morality is determined by what is best for the majority of people. Furthermore, moral decisions reflect an understanding that the majority of people benefit from a social order that fosters harmonious relationships among group members. At this stage, youth understand that laws are intended to serve everyone's best interest, and believe that societies function best when everyone strictly adheres to the law. These youth will begin to compare their daily decisions, and the consequences of those decisions, to the larger society's moral standards. 

Do you think Kohlberg's theory on moral development can be used to explain the importance of fitting in and the role that peer pressure plays? 

References:

Gilligan, Carol (1982). In a Different Voice: Women's Conceptions of Self and Morality. Harvard Educational Review 47 (4).

Kohlberg, L. (1973). The Claim to Moral Adequacy of a Highest Stage of Moral Judgment. Journal of Philosophy, 70(18), 630–646.