Which statement best describes Kohlberg's Preconventional level of morality?

Which statement best describes Kohlberg's Preconventional level of morality?

• A. Morality is determined by external authority and consequences
• B. Morality is determined by internal standards of justice
• C. Morality is determined by social contracts
• D. Morality is determined by the welfare of others

Answer: (A)

In Kohlberg’s Preconventional level, how you judge right and wrong is shaped by external rules and the consequences of your actions, not by any internal sense of justice. People at this stage follow rules mainly to avoid punishment or to gain rewards from authority figures. So, the idea that morality is determined by external authority and the outcomes of actions fits this level precisely. As you move to higher levels, judgments become tied to internal standards of justice, then to social contracts and individual rights, and finally to universal ethical principles that guide behavior beyond mere obedience or self-interest. That’s why other descriptions—like relying on internal standards of justice, or focusing on social contracts or the welfare of others—fit later stages rather than Preconventional.

In Kohlberg’s Preconventional level, how you judge right and wrong is shaped by external rules and the consequences of your actions, not by any internal sense of justice. People at this stage follow rules mainly to avoid punishment or to gain rewards from authority figures. So, the idea that morality is determined by external authority and the outcomes of actions fits this level precisely.

As you move to higher levels, judgments become tied to internal standards of justice, then to social contracts and individual rights, and finally to universal ethical principles that guide behavior beyond mere obedience or self-interest. That’s why other descriptions—like relying on internal standards of justice, or focusing on social contracts or the welfare of others—fit later stages rather than Preconventional.