Right or Wrong - Kohlberg Moral Developmental Theory

What is acceptable and what is not acceptable behaviour? We all follow some moral standrards that we have developed over the years and try to follow it most of the times and also break the rules at times. There is an interesting theory about moral stages development proposed by Kohlberg. Before getting into this theory let me give you a few scenarios

Samrudhi- A 5 month toddler, does not bother what is right or wrong. She plays, laughs, cries. She has no sense of obligation to anybody and totally egocentric. At this infant stage she seeks only pleasure and avoids pain.

Vedha- A 5 year old kid, knows to some extent on what is right and what is wrong based on her family rules. She obeys her family rules in order to avoid punishment. If she is appreciated and not punished then it means that she did something right and if she is criticised and punished then she understands that she did something wrong.

Karthik- A 11 year old kid has more better understanding of the moral values and obeys certain rules for personal gain. Be a good student in the class to be recognized by teacher and friends. Scores good marks so that his dad will enroll him in cricket coaching academy etc...

Anu- A teenager who studies in college knows very well about things which are right and wrong...she finds her peer approval is more important than what society calls it right. She makes decisions which will make her felt included with her peers and also has grown to level where she can understand things from other perspective.

Ramesh - A software professional working in an MNC is motivated by the greatest good for the people and often trusts in consensus and contracts where there is mutual benefit. He also believes that rules can be changed but can be done only through a system.

John - A well settled middle aged person with family and kids. He believes in his own set of ethical principles that he has created over a period of time based on reading, past experiences, life incidents. He may also possess an altruistic view which will be difficult for others to comprehend. Like his parents, John tries to ensure his kids are following what is right and wrong according to him.

Now can we map all this above said 6 characters to the below chart developed by kohlberg

Samrudhi - Stage 0, Vedha - Stage 1, Karthik - Stage 2 & Stage 3, Anu - Stage 4, Ramesh - Stage 5, John - Stage 6

In fact we all have undergone all these stages, Dont we?