Kolhberg's Moral Development Theory
Lawrence Kolberg was a Harvard graduate that was inspired by Jean Piaget's work. Kolhberg studied moral development in children and found three levels divided with two stages each. The main value he measured was "Justice."
LEVEL I: Pre-Conventional Thinking
Self-centered thinking
Stage 1
This stage is characterized by fear of punishment by authorities. These can be parents, teachers, or law enforcers. People don't question the authority or doubt their legitimacy; they don't want to be punished because they don't want to feel pain.
Stage 2
The person seeks their own interests and does not fear punishment because they willing to endure it if it helps them achieve their goals. Additionally, because people in this stage are aware others have their own needs and goals, they can be use them to achieve their own. People are useful to them to the extent they help them get what they want.
LEVEL II: Conventional Thinking
Conforming to social standards and rules
Stage 3
This stage is peer-centered. People finally care what others think of them and want to be seen as "good people." Thus, they adhere so the standards and rules of the social groups they are part of. But what if the rules of the group are immoral or go against human values? Peer pressure can make people do things they don't want, but because the mob rules, they have to obey.
Stage 4
People in this stage are aware there is a higher authority than the group, and that is the policy-makers. Thus, they believe people must live according to one's social contract with the law. However, ethics is bigger than the law, and the latter can allow people to do unethical things.
LEVEL III: Post-Conventional Thinking
Ethical principles and values
Stage 5
People in this stage are aware that laws aren't the highest moral code and can be changed. Laws have to reflect abstract social values and ethical principles the society lives by. For example, social activists want to be part of the policy-making process that promote the greatest good for the greatest amount of people.
Stage 6
Personal universal values. People in this stage live according to their own moral code which is more important than the law, social group, and personal goal. This moral code must be both personal and universal. This means people can choose the values they want to live by but those values must be universally accepted as such.