Final answer:
Individuals in the preconventional stage base their moral decisions on the direct consequences to themselves, such as punishment and reward. This stage is followed by the conventional stage, involving societal rules consideration, and the postconventional stage, where abstract thinking about morality occurs. Kohlberg noted gender differences may influence moral perspectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
People in the preconventional stage of Kohlberg's model of cognitive moral development base their decisions on direct consequences to themselves, primarily guided by considerations of punishment and reward. At this stage, which typically occurs before the age of 9, morality is understood in a very concrete, self-centered, and simplistic way. For example, a child may decide not to take a cookie from a jar because they are afraid of being punished, not because they understand the ethical implications of stealing.
It is not until the conventional stage that individuals begin to consider society's rules and the feelings of others in their moral reasoning, which generally develops during the teenage years. Finally, in the postconventional stage, people start to think about morality in abstract terms and understand that laws and ethics do not always align, which is a level of moral reasoning that Kohlberg found only a few fully achieve.
Moral reasoning is different than moral behavior, and recognizing that legality and morality can diverge is an aspect of higher-level moral reasoning. An example would be the mass protests in Egypt in 2011, where protestors opposed government corruption on ethical grounds, despite the government's actions being legal.
Kohlberg's theory has also been considered through the lens of gender differences, with Carol Gilligan noting that boys and girls may approach moral decisions differently due to a justice perspective in boys and a care and responsibility perspective in girls.