level 1: Pre-conventional
Level(self-interest)
STAGE 1
Obedience &
Punishment
• Avoid punishment.
• Morality is seen as
obeying rules set by
authority.
STAGE 2
Individualism and Exchange
• Personal needs and
rewards.
5.
LEVEL 2: CONVENTIONAL
MORALITY
Stage3
Good Interpersonal
Relationships
(Good Boy/Nice Girl)
• Focus: Approval and
being seen as “good.”
• Morality = based on
intentions and pleasing
others.
Stage 4
Maintaining Social Order
(Law and Order
Orientation)
• Focus: Duty, law, and
authority.
• Morality = following
rules to keep society
stable.
6.
LEVEL 3: POST-CONVENTIONAL
MORALITYto adventure
Stage 5
Social Contract and Individual
Rights
• Focus: Laws are important but
not absolute.
• Morality = protecting basic
human rights and values
(justice, equality).
• Laws should serve the greater
good; if unjust, they should
change.
Stage 6
Universal Ethical Principles
(Principled Conscience)
• Focus: Internal moral
compass based on universal
principles (justice, equality,
dignity).
• Morality = following one’s
conscience, even against
laws or authority.