Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987)

Professional Life
Lawrence Kohlberg was born in New York on October 25, 1927. Kohlberg attended the prestigious Phillips Academy in Massachusetts before enlisting in the Merchant Marines during World War II. When he left the military, Kohlberg enrolled in the University of Chicago and received his Bachelor’s after only one year. A few years later, he received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. Shortly after graduation, Kohlberg joined the staff of Yale University as an assistant professor. He spent several years at Yale before returning to the University of Chicago to accept a position on staff. In 1967, Kohlberg left Chicago to go to Harvard University, to join the staff of their Education and Social Psychology department.

It was his dissertation on moral development in 1958 that was the catalyst for the course Kohlberg’s career would take. His research was based on the moral choices of adolescent boys and led to a life devoted to exploration of moral and ethical development in young people. Kohlberg died in 1971 after a long battle with depression. Kohlberg's legacy lives on in his many published articles and books.

Contribution to Psychology
Kohlberg’s theory on the Stages of Moral Development was born out of his examination of Jean Piaget’s work and his passion for exploring children’s moral choices. Kohlberg believed that moral reasoning was the foundation of all ethical or unethical choices and that individuals continued to develop their moral aptitude throughout their lives. By presenting children with moral dilemmas, Kohlberg was able to show how moral maturity progressed with each subsequent problem. He also discovered that an individual’s moral framework was most often guided by a sense of justice. Based on his research, Kohlberg presented guidelines for the educational community to use in order to integrate morality into academic settings.

Kohlberg theorized that there were three stages of moral development:

1. Pre-Conventional - During the pre-conventional level, an individual experiences two separate stages of reasoning, one relating to obedience and consequence, followed by a stage of determining what benefit can be derived by the choice.
2. Conventional - During the conventional level, a person addresses social conformity and social order.
3. Post-Conventional - In the final post-conventional level, individuals arrive at a place of ethical priority and social consciousness.

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development have been applied in many areas, but are most evident in the Defining Issues Test developed by James Rest. This morality test is founded on Kohlberg’s principles and is commonly used in fields of religion, politics, and healthcare.

Books by Lawrence Kohlberg

• The Meaning and Measurement of Moral Development
  
• Child Psychology and Childhood Education: A Cognitive-Development View
  
• The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice