Question

sebastian, who is 6, walks into the kitchen and sees that his mother has left cookies out on the table as a snack for him and his brother, benjamin. they are chocolate chip, sebastian's favorite kind. he briefly thinks that if he took all four cookies, benjamin would never know. then he remembers that the last time he did that, he had to sit in time out for an hour while benjamin got to play in the pool with their dad. sebastian decides to take only two of the cookies. which stage in kohlberg's theory is sebastian in?

Answer 1

Sebastian is in the pre-conventional stage of Kohlberg's theory, where his decision to take only two cookies is driven by the desire to avoid punishment rather than internal moral principles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sebastian, a 6-year-old boy, decides to take only two cookies, remembering the consequence he faced the last time he took all four. This decision-making process reflects Lawrence Kohlberg's pre-conventional stage of moral development. At this level, individuals' moral reasoning is mainly based on the consequences of their actions, seeking to avoid punishment or gain rewards, without an understanding of higher-level moral principles.

In Sebastian's case, the ethical decision was influenced not by an internal moral code but by the desire to avoid the negative punishment of a time-out, which he had previously experienced when he chose to take all the cookies. Therefore, the student can conclude that Sebastian is operating within the pre-conventional stage of Kohlberg's theory, which is typical for children of his age.