Lawrence Kohlberg was, for many years, a professor at Harvard
University. He became famous for his work there beginning in the early
1970s. He started as a developmental psychologist and then moved to the
field of moral education. He was particularly well-known for his theory of
moral development which he popularized through research studies conducted
at Harvard's Center for Moral Education.

        His theory of moral development was dependent on the thinking of
the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and the American philosopher John
Dewey. He was also inspired by James Mark Baldwin. These men had
emphasized that human beings develop philosophically and psychologically
in a progressive fashion.

        Kohlberg believed...and was able to demonstrate through
studies...that people progressed in their moral reasoning (i.e., in their
bases for ethical behavior) through a series of stages. He believed that
there were six identifiable stages which could be more generally
classified into three levels. 

        Kohlberg's classification can be outlined in the following manner:

    LEVEL           STAGE             SOCIAL ORIENTATION

Pre-conventional      1            Obedience and Punishment

                      2         Individualism, Instrumentalism,
                                        and Exchange


  Conventional        3                "Good boy/girl"

                      4                 Law and Order


Post-conventional     5                Social Contract

                      6              Principled Conscience


        The first level of moral thinking is that generally found at the
elementary school level. In the first stage of this level, people behave
according to socially acceptable norms because they are told to do so by
some authority figure (e.g., parent or teacher). This obedience is
compelled by the threat or application of punishment. The second stage of
this level is characterized by a view that right behavior means acting in
one's own best interests. 

        The second level of moral thinking is that generally found in
society, hence the name "conventional." The first stage of this level
(stage 3) is characterized by an attitude which seeks to do what will gain
the approval of others. The second stage is one oriented to abiding by the
law and responding to the obligations of duty.

        The third level of moral thinking is one that Kohlberg felt is not
reached by the majority of adults. Its first stage (stage 5) is an
understanding of social mutuality and a genuine interest in the welfare of
others. The last stage is based on respect for universal principle and the
demands of individual conscience. 

        Kohlberg believed that individuals could only progress through
these stages one stage at a time. That is, they could not "jump" stages.
They could not, for example, move from an orientation of selfishness to
the law and order stage without passing through the good boy/girl stage.
They could only come to a comprehension of a moral rationale one stage
above their own. Thus, according to Kohlberg, it was important to present
them with moral dilemmas for discussion which would help them to see the
reasonableness of a "higher stage" morality and encourage their
development in that direction.  The last comment refers to Kohlberg's
moral discussion approach.  He saw this as one of the ways in which moral
development can be promoted through formal education. Note that Kohlberg
believed, as did Piaget, that most moral development occurs through social
interaction. The discussion approach is based on the insight that
individuals develop as a result of cognitive conflicts at their current
stage.