Lawrence kohlberg contribution to psychology

Lawrence Kohlberg
Psychologist
BornOct. 25, 1927
DiedJan. 19, 1987 (at age 59)
NationalityAmerican

Kohlberg’s revolutionary Theory of Stages of Moral Development helped establish his reputation as a brilliant thinker in the field of psychology. Studying the topic of moral development was certainly not a new pursuit as philosophers had been doing it for centuries. The subject had, for lack of a better description, had become an afterthought when Kohlberg resurrected it. In doing so, he breathed new life into the study of a very critical area of psychology.

Kohlberg’s Early Years

Lawrence Kohlberg was born on October 25, 1927, in Bronxville, NY. His parents did not have a good relationship and divorced when Kohlberg was in his early teens. The young man put a lot of work into his studies and enrolled in the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, for his high school education.

At the end of WWII, Kohlberg joined the Merchant Marines. As part of his duties, he helped Jewish refugees escape from Romania and into Palestine. This way, the refugees co

Life Dates

Lawrence Kohlberg (October 25, 1927–January 19, 1987) was an American psychologist whose theory of the development of moral reasoning made him one of the most significant psychological researchers of the twentieth century. Kohlberg was born in New York City, attended a private school, and worked for a time in the merchant marine. In this capacity he served the Zionist cause by smuggling Jewish refugees into Palestine. In 1948 he was admitted to The University of Chicago, which awarded him a bachelor’s degree after just 1 year. He enrolled in graduate studies at Chicago and began his academic career at Yale University (1956–1961). From 1962 to 1968, he was a professor at Chicago and thereafter at Harvard. In 1971, Kohlberg contracted a debilitating parasitic disease while working in Belize. For the rest of his life he suffered from its effects, including depression. In 1987, he committed suicide by drowning at Winthrop, just outside Boston (Walsh 2000).

Contribution(s) to the...

Lawrence Kohlberg

American psychologist (1927–1987)

Lawrence Kohlberg (; October 25, 1927 – January 17, 1987) was an American psychologist best known for his theory of stages of moral development.

He served as a professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Chicago and at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Even though it was considered unusual in his era, he decided to study the topic of moral judgment, extending Jean Piaget's account of children's moral development from 25 years earlier.[1] In fact, it took Kohlberg five years before he was able to publish an article based on his views.[1] Kohlberg's work reflected and extended not only Piaget's findings but also the theories of philosophers George Herbert Mead and James Mark Baldwin.[2] At the same time he was creating a new field within psychology: "moral development".

In an empirical study using six criteria, such as citations and recognition, Kohlberg was found to be the 30th most eminent psychologist of the 20th century.[3]

Early life and

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