How to Apply Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development in Early Childhood

Lawrence Kohlberg, Ph.D., a noted professor of psychology at Harvard University, researched and developed his theory of moral development in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The theory consists of three levels of morality: 1) pre-conventional, 2) conventional and 3) post-conventional, with two stages in each level. According to Kohlberg, children in early childhood, ages 4 to 10, usually exhibit moral development associated with the pre-conventional level. In stage one, children show an understanding of obedience and punishment and relate one's ability to follow the rules to being good or bad. In stage two, children equate right and good actions with gaining self-benefits. In a child's mind, getting what they want and think they deserve is the best moral behavior.

Things You'll Need

  • Books
  • Articles

Instructions

    • 1

      Present your child with a moral dilemma. In Kohlberg's research, he developed moral dilemma stories, read the scenarios to children and asked them to decide what the person should do. For example, in one dilemma, a 14-year-old boy, Joe, who wants to go to camp, saves money from his paper route to pay for it. His father, who originally said he could go, changes his mind and asks Joe for the money to pay for his fishing trip instead. Joe wants to obey his father, but does not want to give him the money because he wants to go to camp. Kohlberg then asked children moral questions, such as if Joe should refuse to give his father the money or if his father has the right to ask for the money.

    • 2

      Evaluate your child's response. After presenting a dilemma to your child and asking her questions to reveal her moral understanding, you can determine whether she is at stage one or stage two or if she falls into a higher level of moral belief system. Did your child choose for Joe to obey his father because children should obey parents or was it okay for Joe to disobey his father because it was unfair for him to ask for the money? Open communication is important when guiding your child's moral development. Be sure to empathize with her response, whether or not it reflects the morals you are teaching, to show you are available and willing to talk.

    • 3

      Identify areas for improvement. After you have evaluated the level of morality your child shows in her response to a dilemma, carefully select characteristics in which you would most like to see growth. Darcia Narvaez and Daniel Lapsley, in their compilation on the moral development of children, suggest that a sense of community and bonds of attachment enhance pro-social behaviors and positive developmental outcomes. When parents, caregivers and teachers respond appropriately to moral situations and model expected behaviors, the growth of moral development in children is stimulated.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Deal With a Kid's Disappointment
      Its understandable to want to shield and protect your child from unhappiness, but this is also an unrealistic goal. Everyone experiences frustrations in life, including children. When disappointments happen, the way you approach the challenge will te
    • Children & Punching Bags for Therapy
      When a child is dealing with emotional stress or other anger issues, parents search out the best solutions to ease the pain. Working through a childs mental health issues can be taxing on an entire family, but through communication and the help of a
    • How to Teach your child to read
      Teaching your child to read can be both rewarding and frustrating. Because each child learns at his own rate, there is some variability in the age when a child is ready to learn to read. Under normal circumstances, teaching your child to read before