Definition
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development explains how moral development takes place in human animals.
Introduction
The nature and the cognitive and emotional determinants of moral judgment have been empirically studied since the emergence of the science of psychology. Although one of the first systematic theories began with Piaget (1965), the first systematic theory based on empirical research was introduced by Lawrence Kohlberg (1969). Kohlberg’s theory is regarded as a rationalist theory since it assumes that the main determinant of moral judgment is rational thinking processes, even though it is thought that emotional or intuitive processes are also involved – at least in part – in moral judgment.
Kohlberg’s Three Levels
There are three levels (in a total of six stages) in Kohlberg’s theory of moral development in a hierarchical structure. These three levels follow a stable sequence but qualitatively correspond to...
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References
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Yilmaz, O., Bahçekapili, H.G., Sevi, B. (2019). Theory of Moral Development. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_171-1
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