Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development • Topic 2 of 5

Level 2 — Conventional Morality

At the conventional level (most adolescents and adults) morality is about conforming to social expectations and maintaining the social order — the standards of others are internalised. Stage 3, the 'good boy / good girl' orientation, judges actions by whether they win approval and please others; being moral means being seen as nice, kind and well-behaved, and living up to what your group expects. Stage 4, the 'law and order' orientation, broadens this to society as a whole: one must obey laws, respect authority and do one's duty to keep society functioning, because rules exist for the common good. Most adult moral reasoning, Kohlberg found, sits at the conventional level. CTET scenarios: doing something 'because everyone will think badly of me otherwise' (Stage 3) or 'because it is the law and laws must be obeyed' (Stage 4).

✅ Solved examples

1. A teenager refuses to cheat 'because my friends and teachers would think I'm a bad person'. This is:
Stage 3 (good boy/good girl) — morality driven by gaining approval and meeting others’ expectations.
2. Someone argues Heinz should not steal 'because stealing is against the law and laws must be upheld for society to function'. This is:
Stage 4 (law and order) — duty to maintain social order and respect authority.
3. The conventional level is characterised by morality based on:
Conforming to social norms — others’ approval (Stage 3) and maintaining law and social order (Stage 4).
4. According to Kohlberg, the moral reasoning of most adults is at the:
Conventional level — Stages 3 and 4.

✏️ Practice — try these, take hints as needed

1. Acting morally to gain approval and be seen as “nice” is which stage?
Pleasing others.
Stage 3 (good boy/good girl)
2. Obeying laws to maintain social order and do one’s duty is which stage?
Society-wide rules.
Stage 4 (law and order)
3. Internalising the standards of one’s group and society defines which level?
Middle level.
Conventional level
4. Most adults reason at which Kohlbergian level?
Not the highest.
Conventional level

📝 Topic test — 8 questions

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