Kohlberg's Moral Development
Navigate the Heinz Dilemma. Choose whether to steal the life-saving drug, and explicitly select your reasoning to reveal your position on Kohlberg's 3-level Moral Pyramid.
KOHLBERG'S MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Lawrence Kohlberg's theory explains how our sense of right and wrong develops as we age. He identified three levels of moral reasoning: **Preconventional** (focus on rewards and punishments), **Conventional** (focus on social rules and laws), and **Postconventional** (focus on universal ethical principles). In AP Psychology, the emphasis is not on the choice someone makes (e.g., 'should I steal the medicine?'), but on the **reasoning** behind that choice.
THE HEINZ DILEMMA
Kohlberg developed his theory by presenting subjects with moral dilemmas, the most famous being the 'Heinz Dilemma'—where a man must decide whether to steal an overpriced drug to save his dying wife. Responses to this dilemma allow researchers to categorize a person's moral stage. Critics, such as Carol Gilligan, have noted that Kohlberg's model may be biased toward a male, Western perspective of individualistic justice.
HOW TO USE THIS VISUALIZATION
1. **The Dilemma**: Read the Heinz Dilemma summary on the 'Scenario' card. 2. **Choose an Action**: Select 'Steal the Drug' or 'Do Not Steal'. 3. **Analyze the Reasoning**: View the 'Moral Response' cards. Click on each response (e.g., 'I will go to jail' vs. 'Human life is more valuable than property') to see which level of Kohlberg's hierarchy it represents. 4. **Compare Demographics**: Toggle the 'Gilligan Critique' mode to see how moral reasoning might differ when viewed through a 'Care Perspective' rather than a 'Justice Perspective'.
AP EXAM CONNECTION
Unit: Unit 6: Developmental Psychology (Topic 6.7)
Learning Objective: DEV-1.G
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
- Thinking adults are always at the Postconventional level (many remain at the Conventional level).
- Judging the "rightness" of the action (it's the REASONING that matters for the stage).
- Assuming moral reasoning leads directly to moral behavior (the two are linked but not identical).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Moral development consists of Preconventional, Conventional, and Postconventional levels.
- Kohlberg prioritized the underlying logic of moral choices.
- Critics like Gilligan argue for a care-based approach to morality.
- Moral reasoning is a cognitive process that matures over time.
