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Moral Development Theories
Jamie Zander
School of Education, Liberty University
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Moral Development Theories
Countless theories have emerged in science and literature in efforts to explain moral development in
children (and ultimately people as they mature to adulthood). Many have attempted to organize a
theoretical framework which can be used to describe the necessary tenets leading children toward moral
reasoning. Four theorists who pioneered studies in the capacity for moral decision-making in children
are Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Elliot Turiel, and Albert Bandura. Their theories have helped shape
our understanding of children’s behavior and attitudes when faced with moral issues. While these
theories are only a century old or less, they are likely to remain cornerstones for our understanding of
moral development in the future. It is important that educators understand the implications of these
theories, so that they may help promote virtue in their pupils and move them toward responsible
adulthood.
Jean Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development
Until his death in 1980, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget dedicated himself to building a systematic study of
how children gained knowledge and understanding of their world. He believed that cognitive structures
were primary to the acquisition of moral development and that children move through four predictable
stages in their gain of moral reasoning (Salvin & Schunk, 2021). He placed major emphasis on children
gaining the cognitive capacity to move to a higher level through guided experiences. The stages:
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operations, progress with a trend from
making meaning of the immediate surroundings and experiences to mastery of logical thought and
flexibility in problem-solving. As children shift from an egocentric moral reasoning toward one of social
justice, they also shed the idea that morality is constrained by rules and replace it with the notion that
cooperation and reciprocity represent the higher moral objective.
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Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
American psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg, sought to expand on Piaget’s theories. Kohlberg saw the
pinnacle of moral development as justice and offered that children progress through six definable stages
as their intellect adapts (McLeod, 2013). In order to progress through the six stages, the child must also
progress through three distinct levels of reasoning: preconventional, conventional, and
postconventional. Kohlberg suggests that movement up levels and stages is dependent on successful
navigation at the previous level/stage (and that some children, in fact, do not reach the upper stages). At
the preconventional level, children choose to obey authority figures in order to avoid punishment and
begin to place importance on their own wants/needs. As the child moves through the conventional level,
they are guided by a desire to be “a good child” and view law/order as a function of society’s rules.
Provided the child is able to ascend to a postconventional level of moral reasoning, s/he can ultimately
focus on their actions (i.e., doing the “right thing”) and the possible perspectives of others (known as
Universal Ethical Principle Orientation). Kohlberg felt that moral development was a lifelong pursuit, not
necessarily achieved in childhood or even early adulthood.
Elliot Turiel’s Moral Domain Theory
Elliot Turiel, also a U.S.-born psychologist, has worked to examine social reasoning and how it
can be directly applied in the field of education. Additionally, he has attempted to reconcile some of the
inconsistencies found in Piaget’s and Kohlberg’s findings. Emerging in the 1970’s, Turiel’s Social Domain
Theory placed emphasis on welfare and the rights of others (moral issues) over deciding right/wrong
based on social norms, customs, rules, or standards (conventional issues). In his view, morality is a
function of welfare and equity, whereby a child’s actions are important in the context of how others are
affected. Rather than focusing on stages, Turiel offers three parallel domains of growth: moral, social,
and psychological. This model provided evidence that children could attain moral “milestones” of
development quicker than Piaget or Kohlberg believed was possible. His research demonstrates that
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children have the capacity to understand the larger social system in the context of their moral
development.
Albert Bandura’s Theory of Moral Development through Social Learning
Albert Bandura was a Canadien-American psychologist who developed and refined his theories
of social learning and self-efficacy from the 1940’s through 2020. Bandura’s core belief was that people
learn through passive and active observation. His perspective places great importance on modeling and
the recognition of the consequences of others’ behavior (vicarious learning). Four stages of learning
were integral to his theory: attention, retention/memory, reproduction (i.e., behavior), and motivation.
Each stage obviously depends heavily on observation and imitation. Motivations to act (and otherwise,
not act) are viewed in the context of prior rewards/punishments, future (or promised)
rewards/punishments, and/or through vicarious learning.
Similarities between Piaget and Kohlberg’s Theories
Although they did not agree on the terminology or precise timeframes for the different stages in
their respective moral development theories, Piaget and Kohlberg held to the core belief that humans’
understanding of the world (and ultimately their mastery of moral being) moved through stages from an
egocentric perspective toward altruism. They both hold that the stages of moral development are fixed
and progressive, with the completion of one stage marking the onset of the next. The two theories also
hold that doing “the right thing” in childhood is essentially based on respect for authority and wanting to
do good – Piaget called this “autonomous morality”, while Kohlberg described it as “conventional
morality”. The similarity is not unexpected, as Kohlberg openly embraced Piaget’s work and sought to
build upon his ground-breaking approach.
Differences between Piaget’s and Turiel’s Theories
The theories of Piaget and Turiel diverged on two related fronts. Turiel moved away from
theories with a prescribed timetable (genetic epistemology, in Piaget’s terms) toward a notion that moral
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development was a domain which coexists with a personal and conventional domain. This co-dependent
domain model is ultimately used to explain the evolution of a child into adulthood. As Turiel’s model is
not necessarily time-sensitive, he also believed that children could be taught basic moral logic and
reasoning (with the appropriate teaching strategies) at a much earlier age than Piaget held in his theory.
As cultural experiences and interactions with others shape our morality, it changes/adapts our morality
structure in a manner independent of which developmental stage (or chronological age) the learner
resides.
Biblical Worldview Alignment
Jean Piaget’s theory has many hallmarks of a biblical or Christian worldview. That moral
development is pre-programmed and ordered serves to underscore the notion that learning follows a
determinable pattern. This non-randomized structure aligns with the biblical principles that God and His
words are unchangeable, morally perfect, and attainable through an organized approach of study. Piaget
describes moral growth as evolving from an egocentric perspective toward moral autonomy, with the
fully-developed person ready and able to use their moral acts for formal operations. As Peter quotes,
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours
and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). This scripture suggests applications for Piaget’s theories at every stage of moral
development the Swiss psychologist outlined.
Conclusion
Moral development theories seek to capture the evolution of moral understanding from birth into
adulthood. Four major contributors to this field are Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Elliot Turiel, and
Albert Bandura. Elements of their theories have helped inform our understanding of the capacity for
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moral reasoning in children and have important Implications for the field of education. By modeling
positive moral inquiry, educators can help shape students toward a more respectful and virtuous
adulthood. In this vein, the focus should be on alternative explanations for others’ behavior and not on a
simple reduction to a judgement of right or wrong (Nucci, 2005).
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References
2 Peter 1:5-8. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2022, from
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/2-pet/1?lang=eng
McLeod, s. (2013). Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Simply Psychology. Retrieved
October 1, 2022, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html
Nucci, L. (2005, August 17). Education for Moral Development. In Handbook of Moral
Development (pp. 657–682). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410615336
Salvin, R., & Schunk, D. (2021). Learning Theories (third custom edition). Pearson Education.
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