Question

To investigate the nature of moral thought, lawrence kohlberg presented children with a story in which a character named heinz faces a moral dilemma. when ellie is read the story and asked whether heinz should have stolen the drug, she states, "no, it is against the law to steal. the husband should find another way to get the drug." ellie is in the _______ stage of moral development.

Answer 1

Ellie is in the heteronomous morality stage of moral development. This is stage 1 under the pre-conventional level. This stage is characterized by sticking to the law and rules. The moral judgement here is to avoid any punishment. The key phrase in the problem would be the statement of Ellie, "no, it is against the law to steal".