According to Kohlberg, a dutiful citizen who obeys laws is at which level of moral reasoning?

According to Kohlberg, a dutiful citizen who obeys laws is at which level of moral reasoning?

• A. Preconventional
• B. Conventional
• C. Postconventional
• D. Ethical relativism

Answer: (B)

At the conventional level, moral reasoning centers on conforming to social norms, duties, and the expectations of others to keep society working. A dutiful citizen who obeys laws is acting from a sense of obligation to uphold order and fulfill one’s role in the community, rather than acting from personal gain (preconventional) or from abstract universal principles (postconventional). Ethical relativism isn’t a stage in Kohlberg’s model, and it doesn’t describe this kind of law-and-duty reasoning. So, this scenario best fits the conventional level.

At the conventional level, moral reasoning centers on conforming to social norms, duties, and the expectations of others to keep society working. A dutiful citizen who obeys laws is acting from a sense of obligation to uphold order and fulfill one’s role in the community, rather than acting from personal gain (preconventional) or from abstract universal principles (postconventional). Ethical relativism isn’t a stage in Kohlberg’s model, and it doesn’t describe this kind of law-and-duty reasoning. So, this scenario best fits the conventional level.