Question

Isabel is 16 years old and preparing to take a final exam. Her good friend has a list of the possible essay questions that were taken from the teacher's desk and asks Isabel if she would like to look at it. Isabel chooses not to look at the essay questions. According to Kohlberg, why might Isabel have made this decision? Be sure to describe the stages of Kohlberg's theory of moral development in your response.

Answer 1

According to Kohlberg, Isabel might have made this decision in order to maintain social order.

Step-by-step explanation:

There are six stages in Kohlberg's theory of moral development. They include;

Stage 1 Pre-conventional (Common among children under the age of 9)

• Obedience and punishment orientation

• Self-interest orientation

Stage 2 Conventional (Common among pre-teens, teens, and some adults)

• Interpersonal accord and conformity

• Authority and social-order maintaining orientation:

This is the stage Isabel is in. Isabel recognizes that the law is against cheating and she reasons on how her own personal actions would negatively affect the society. Therefore, she choses to play her own role by desisting from cheating even if her friend is doing it.

Stage 3 Post-Conventional (rarely displayed by some adolescents and adults)

• Social contract orientation

• Universal ethical principles