This paper applies Lawrence Kohlberg's three levels and six stages of moral reasoning to a biographical account of a college student's development. Beginning with preconventional morality — evident in the student's self-centered social choices and party-driven college life — the paper traces his gradual transition through conventional morality, driven by academic struggles, illness, and the influence of a romantic partner named Kim. The analysis concludes by demonstrating how the student reaches postconventional morality, developing a sense of social responsibility and empathy that ultimately guides his career choice as an academic adviser. The paper illustrates how real-life experiences map onto Kohlberg's theoretical framework.
According to Kendra Van Wagner, Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning incorporate six stages across three levels. The first level, preconventional morality, focuses mainly on the needs of and consequences for the self. While Stage 2 begins to recognize that others also have needs important to them, the primary focus remains the individual's own needs and their fulfillment. Level II is conventional morality, in which authority figures and laws are viewed as primarily important; the person's own needs, as well as the needs of others, take a secondary position to the precedence of authority and laws. The final level is postconventional morality, which refers to an individual's recognition that rules exist to serve society rather than the other way around. Rules are flexible and can be changed according to the changing needs of a collective group of people.
According to the Education Encyclopedia (2007), the collectivist view that governs Kohlberg's stages was heavily influenced by the philosopher's observations of a kibbutz high school in Israel, in collaboration with Émile Durkheim's moral education theory. According to Kohlberg, not all people proceed through all six stages (Daeg de Mott, 2007).
In the biographical reading, all three levels — although not necessarily all six stages — can be identified. Level I, preconventional morality, is evident in the author's initial decision regarding which college to attend. The author's first preference was a particular university chosen not only on the basis of his own personal preference, but also on the preferences and needs of others. This is evidence of both Stage 1 and Stage 2 reasoning, as the author's own wishes coincide with those of others. The impression is that the college was chosen at least partly because this alignment existed. If there had been a conflict between the author's wishes and those of his family and friends, he might have chosen the college best suiting his own needs. The university was selected because it was close to his family — important to the author personally — and because most of his friends were attending the same institution. As such, the author chose the college based upon his connections with others in his life, indicating that both his own needs and those of others were important to him.
The author's initial activities while attending college also indicate first-level moral reasoning. Both his own and others' needs are important to him, but these take precedence over rules and regulations as well as input from authority figures. The author notes that parties were very important to him, and that he only barely balanced these with his extracurricular sports activities and his studies. Again, Stages 1 and 2 of Level I are evident: the author's needs and those of his friends take precedence over authority figures, rules, and regulations. The author states that this was in part due to a lack of supervision by authority figures such as parents. As a student, he was no longer under his parents' authority and therefore acted upon this unprecedented freedom through an excess of social activities. Still, others feature highly in his esteem, as he pleased his friends by attending as many parties as possible.
The beginning of the author's chronic illness was the catalyst for his movement into Level II of moral reasoning. The author experienced burnout as a result of his relentless social activities combined with his attempts to keep up with his studies. As his grades began to slip and his non-attendance of lectures became a significant problem, he began to realize the importance of rules, regulations, and authority figures. His lecturers expressed concern about his grades via email, and he reciprocated by contacting them about making up his grades. This is indicative of the author's development at Stage 3, where he recognizes the importance of maintaining interpersonal relationships with his lecturers. He reciprocates their trust and loyalty by responding to their concern about the state of his academic performance.
This shift aligns with what developmental psychologists describe as conventional morality — a stage in which social norms, institutional expectations, and relational obligations begin to guide behavior more strongly than personal pleasure alone.
"Kim's influence pushes author toward rule-following"
"Career decisions reflect social contract and Stage 5"
"Past irresponsibility reframed as growth and empathy"
In conclusion, the author proceeds from Stage 1 to Stage 6 in an integrated fashion. He gradually comes to understand the importance of academic commitment without external supervision, as well as the importance of following rules for the purpose of personal development. Once his personal development reaches Level III, the author is able to operate from a platform of complete understanding of his own shortcomings. As such, he is able to connect with others on a deeper level than would otherwise have been possible. Indeed, the author's full development throughout the stages places him in an ideal position for the future of his chosen career.
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