In
Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development, there are a total of six stages which are
organized into three levels. Each of these levels highlights a progression of
one’s moral reasoning skills.
In
Level A (known as the Pre-Moral Stages), the individual’s main focus is on
themselves. The individual’s behaviour is motivated by the anticipation of
pleasure or pain inflicted on others.
Stage
One is called “Punishment and Obedience”, which is where the individual is fixated
on the avoidance of physical punishment and submissiveness to power. Punishment
is an automatic response of physical retaliation, wherein the immediate
physical consequences of an action determine its goodness or badness. Stage Two
“Instrumental Exchange” highlights the egoist personality of the individual. The individual does what is necessary to
satisfy his own needs and desires. Vengeance is considered a moral duty for the
individual and people are valued in terms of their usefulness to that person. A
prime example of this is "an eye for an eye.” which is a key conception in
Hamlet’s mind. He believes that he should be able to kill Claudius because
Claudius killed his father. Although to most people, this may seem immoral, to
Hamlet, his reality is hazy because of the death of his father that he cannot
interpret what is socially acceptable. Nor does he understand his own moral
values.
Level
B is “Conventional Morality”, in which the focus is centered on the
significance of others. Stage Three (Interpersonal Conformity): Right is conformity to the stereotypical
behavioral, values expectations of one's society or peers. The main example is “common
sense”. One earns approval by being conventionally "respectable" and "nice."
Personal vengeance is not allowed. Forgiveness is preferable to revenge.
Punishment is mainly for deterrence and failure to punish is considered to be "unfair."
This is one rule which Hamlet breaks immediately upon news of his father’s
death. He makes it his personal mission to exact revenge upon Claudius for
murdering his father, marrying his mother and stealing the throne. In his mind,
Hamlet believes that vengeance is more important than integrity.
Stage
Four (Law and Order in the context of Societal Conformity) is the stage where
the individual has respect for fixed rules and responsibility toward the
welfare of others in the society. Justice
demands that the wrongdoer be punished, that he "pay his debt to
society," and that law abiders be rewarded. Injustice is failing to reward
work or punish demerit. Right behavior consists of maintaining the social order
for its own sake. Consistency and precedent must be maintained. For most people,
this is the highest stage they will achieve.
In Hamlet’s case, he never makes
it past the Law and Order in the context of Societal Conformity stage, due to
the fact that he displays egocentric characteristics and doesn’t care about
those around him. Although on the outside he appears to show true care for his
mother and Ophelia, later he disregards them and becomes focused on the idea of
revenge. This is what causes him to succumb to madness and lose everyone he
held dear to him. His personal reality causes him to disregard social norms
(such as justice and respect towards others) in order to satisfy personal
needs.
Information
about Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development taken from:
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