The aim of this essay is to describe how an individual can become a Kohlberg’s level six, Eric ego-strong and Maslow’s self actualized human being. Kohlberg’s stages of moral development are six in number whilst Eric Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development are 8 in number spanning from infancy to old age. Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs is a motivational theory which has five stages arranged in form of a pyramid.
For a person to graduate into Kohlberg’s level six of moral reasoning, he or she must go through the other five stages sequentially integrating the concepts of each into their personality. This implies that the person has to pass through each of these stages by recognizing the deficits inherent in their current level of reasoning. Kohleberg’s 6 stages are clustered into 3 levels; preconventional, conventional and postconventional morality. In the preconventional level which encompasses the first and second stages, the person is yet to internalize morality and his or her reasoning is based on the perceived consequences of the action or behavior on the individuals involved. In the first stage, obedience and punishment orientation, the person will perceive morality based on what the authorities say is right or wrong. During the second stage, individualism and exchange, the person will learn that different people can have differing perspectives on what is right or wrong and hence will learn to construe morality based on whether the doer benefits or not. The person at this stage will also realize that there is some form of exchange between people. At the second level, conventional morality which also has two stages, the person will learn to judge morality of a behavior based on its effects on social relationships. In stage 3, good interpersonal relationships, the person determines morality of an action based on the emotional impact it will have on interpersonal relationships.
During stage 4 maintaining social order, the individual will recognize the need for all members of a society to follow a set of rules. In the final level, postconventional morality, the person develops abstract thinking on justice realizing that individuals have their own ethical principles which maybe inconsistent with those of society. At stage 5, social contract and individual rights, the person will recognize that although social rules and regulations are necessary, they may themselves be unjust. His or her reasoning will be guided by their personal ethical principles. During stage 6, universal principles, the person’s reasoning will be based on universal ethical principles. He or she will learn that laws are only just and worth obeying if they are congruent with general moral principles like the right to life (Cohen).At this stage, the individual will be considered to have reached the epic of moral reasoning and hence will understand why one cannot put a puppy into the microwave.
In conclusion thus, for an individual to become a Kohlberg’s level six, Eric ego-strong and Maslow’s self actualized human being, he or she needs to successfully gain competencies in all the stages of development described by the three theorist that is Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, Eric’s psychosocial stages of development and Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs.
Works Cited
Cohen, Lisa J. The handy psychology answer book. Canton: Visible Ink Press, 2011. Print.
Milliken, Mary E., and Alyson Honeycutt. Understanding human behavior: A guide for health
care providers. 7th ed. New York: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2004. Print.
Rathus, Spencer A. Childhood and adolescence: Voyages and development. 4th ed. California:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
