कोहलबर्ग की अवस्थाएँ
Kohlberg's Stages
Lawrence Kohlberg described moral development in three levels of two stages each: preconventional, where right is what avoids punishment or brings reward; conventional, where right is what pleases others and follows law; and postconventional, where right rests on agreed contracts and universal principles. Children in Classes 1-5 sit mainly at the preconventional level.
The three levels and six stages
| Level | Stage | What makes an act right |
|---|---|---|
| Preconventional | 1. Punishment and obedience | Avoiding punishment — 'I will be beaten' |
| Preconventional | 2. Instrumental relativist | Personal benefit and exchange — 'you help me, I help you' |
| Conventional | 3. Good boy / good girl | Approval of others — 'people will call me good' |
| Conventional | 4. Law and order | Duty and rules — 'it is the law, society will break down' |
| Postconventional | 5. Social contract | Agreed rules that can be changed democratically |
| Postconventional | 6. Universal ethical principle | Conscience and justice, even against the law |
How Kohlberg found this
Kohlberg used moral dilemmas, the best known being the Heinz dilemma, in which a man must decide whether to steal a medicine he cannot afford to save his wife. Kohlberg cared little for the yes-or-no answer. What placed a child at a stage was the reasoning behind it. Two children can both say 'he should not steal' and be at stage 1 and stage 4 respectively.
The primary classroom picture
- A Class 1 child returns a found pencil because the teacher may scold — stage 1.
- A Class 3 child shares tiffin because the friend shares back — stage 2.
- A Class 5 child helps clean the room so the teacher will praise her — stage 3.
Because most of these children reason at stage 1 and 2, rules in primary classes must be few, clear and consistently applied. Long moral lectures do not shift a stage; discussing real class incidents does.
✗ A child at stage 4 obeys because he fears the teacher. | ✓ Fear of punishment is stage 1; stage 4 obeys because rules keep society running.
✗ Kohlberg's stage is decided by what the child says should be done. | ✓ It is decided by why the child says it — the reasoning, not the choice.
संकेत: पूर्व-रूढ़िगत (preconventional) = दंड और स्वार्थ; रूढ़िगत (conventional) = प्रशंसा और कानून; उत्तर-रूढ़िगत (postconventional) = सिद्धांत और अंतरात्मा।
Kohlberg gives 1-2 questions in Paper 1. The standard item quotes a child's justification and asks for the stage, so learn the stages by their reasons, not their numbers. Two traps recur: the answer's content is used instead of its reasoning, and 'good boy - good girl' is placed in the preconventional level when it is stage 3 of the conventional level. Remember also Carol Gilligan's criticism that Kohlberg's justice-based scale under-rates the ethic of care shown by girls.
Frequently asked questions
At which Kohlberg stage are most primary school children?
At the preconventional level, stages 1 and 2. They judge acts by the punishment that follows or by the benefit they get in exchange, which is why consistent, clearly explained class rules work better than abstract moral talk.
What is the Heinz dilemma used for?
It is a story used to probe moral reasoning. The stage is decided by the justification the person gives for stealing or not stealing the medicine, not by the decision itself.
What was Gilligan's criticism of Kohlberg?
Carol Gilligan argued the theory was built on male samples and treated abstract justice as the highest morality, undervaluing an ethic of care and relationship that appears more often in girls' reasoning.
60-second recap
- Three levels, six stages: preconventional, conventional, postconventional.
- Stage 1 punishment, 2 self-interest, 3 approval, 4 law, 5 contract, 6 principle.
- Stage is fixed by the reasoning, not by the answer given.
- Classes 1-5 mostly reason at stages 1 and 2.
- Gilligan criticised the theory for ignoring the ethic of care.