ABSTRACT
Moral development is characterized by stage conceptions, in which the individual progresses through a hierarchical series of stages, ordered in a lawful fashion (Kohlberg, 1976; Piaget, 1965; Rest, 1973). People progress at varying rates through a prescribed sequence of stages until some (but not all) reach the theoretically highest stage. Importantly, progression is described as lying in the reasoning behind moral behavior and not in the moral content or value of the behavior per se (Kohlberg, 1976, Rest, 1973). Much controversy and confusion has arisen over the efficacy of a structural stage analysis and the separation of reasoning and values (see Kohlberg, Levine, & Hewer, 1983, for a review of the controversies). I do not propose to settle questions about structural stages nor to conclude whether development lies in reasoning, values, or both. Instead, I suggest a means of clarifying the reasoning/values distinction by applying a comprehensive model of social judgment to moral judgment. The proposed conceptual and methodological framework enables separation of progressions in reasoning and values and facilitates evaluation of developmental issues. The model also has implications for training moral reasoning, and research on this score is reported.
