clipped from: en.wikipedia.org Kohlberg's stages of moral development were conceived by Lawrence Kohlberg to explain the development of moral reasoning. Created while studying psychology at the University of Chicago, it was inspired when he became fascinated with children's reactions to moral dilemmas through the work of Jean Piaget. He wrote his doctoral dissertation there in 1958, outlining what are now known as his stages of moral development.
Kohlberg's six stages were grouped into three levels: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. Following Piaget's constructivist requirements for a stage model, it is not possible to regress backward in stages (although none function at their highest stage at all times). It is also not possible to 'jump' stages; each stage provides a new yet necessary perspective, and is more comprehensive, differentiated, and integrated than its predecessors.
