Final answer:
According to Lawrence Kohlberg, many people do not reach the highest level of moral development, which includes three main stages: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. In the highest post-conventional stage, morality is based on abstract principles and a recognition that laws might not always align with ethics.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Lawrence Kohlberg, many people do not reach the highest level of moral development. Kohlberg's theory includes three main levels: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. During the pre-conventional stage, often found in young children, morality is associated with obedience and self-interest. It's the stage where individuals base their moral decisions on how to avoid punishment or gain rewards.
When reaching the conventional level, typically in adolescence, an individual's morality is influenced by societal norms. This is where people begin to consider what society views as right or wrong, as indicated by response 'c' in one of the options provided. Social approval and maintaining order become central to moral reasoning at this stage.
The post-conventional stage, which according to Kohlberg, a minority of adults ever achieve, is where morality is understood in terms of abstract principles and the realisation that laws and ethics do not always align. While in the conventional stage societal views dominate, in the post-conventional stage, individuals start to question the validity of these societal norms and highlight the distinction between legality and morality.
Kohlberg found that moral development progresses with age and cognitive maturity, but not everyone reaches the pinnacle, primarily due to the lack of situations that challenge their moral beliefs to a sufficient degree. Regardless, Kohlberg's theory has been pivotal in understanding how humans develop a sense of morality. However, it is also important to note that moral reasoning, as per Kohlberg's stages, does not always translate into moral behavior.