Question

Although Jason would benefit from approving the BesTel investment without board approval, he does not feel comfortable making the decision without at least involving Jack, the chairman of the board, first. Jason’s hesitation and willingness to put aside his own interests for doing things the right way in the eyes of the shareholders indicates that Jason is at which stage of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development?

Answer 1

Answer:

He is in the third stage (interpersonal accord) of Kohlberg's stages of moral development.

Explanation:

Kohlberg did some studies on morality and proposed a theory on moral development. He defined three different levels of morality (and each level consists in 2 stages).

These levels are:

• preconventional,

• conventional and

• postconventional

In the preconventional level, the person's morality is externally controlled and therefore acts based on what the punishment will be (1st stage) or based on how good will it be for him/her to act in some way (2nd stage)

The conventional level stages also have to to with external controls but now the person thinks in function of ensure positive relationships and societal order. The third stage here depends on the approval of others. The fourth stage has to do with accepting rules because they preserve the society order  and functioning.

The postconventional level stages are defined in more abstract principles or values. The 5th stage sees the world as a place with different values that must be respected. Finally the 6th stage is based in universal ethical abstract principles.

In this example, Jason doesn't feel comfortable taking a decision without involving the chairman of the board. He is deciding to put aside his own interests for doing things the right way in the eyes of the shareholders, therefore, since he is focused in external factors he is in the conventional level, specifically in the third stage in which decisions depend on the approval of others.