Discover Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg was an American psychologist who developed the theory of stages of moral development. Kohlberg studied moral judgment, extending Jean Piaget's account of children's moral development. He served as a professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Chicago and at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Kohlberg's work reflected and extended not only Piaget's findings but also the theories of philosophers George Herbert Mead and James Mark Baldwin. In an empirical study using six criteria, Kohlberg was found to be the 30th most eminent psychologist of the 20th century. Kohlberg proposed a form of "Socratic" moral education and reaffirmed John Dewey's idea that development should be the aim of education. He also outlined how educators can influence moral development without indoctrination and how public school can be engaged in moral education consistent with the United States Constitution. Kohlberg's theory holds that moral reasoning, which is the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental constructive stages – each more adequate at responding to moral dilemmas than the last. Kohlberg's three major contributions to moral education were the use of Moral Exemplars, Dilemma Discussions, and Just Community Schools. Kohlberg's theory focused too much on reason at the expense of other factors, and it was criticized for being too male-focused. Another criticism against Kohlberg's theory was that it focused too much on reason at the expense of other factors. Kohlberg died in 1987 from a parasitic infection, and his body was found in a tidal marsh across the harbor near the end of a Logan Airport runway.