Functional Determinants of Moral Development

Abstract

It has been posited by Paiget and Kohlberg that stages of moral development are determined by stages of moral reasoning. In real life, however, stages of moral development may be determined as much by practical considerations which hold a functional value for the individual. Sixty eight subjects who volunteered for this study were scored and ranked on three tests: Kohlberg's Moral Measurement Scale which measured stages of moral development, Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), measuring the state of self-actualization, and a questionnaire measuring one's status in need states, ego functioning, and in socioeconomics. Stages of moral development were found to be significantly correlated with measures of need states, ego functioning, and one's socioeconomic status.