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Kohlbergian Contributions to Educational Programs for the Moral Development of Professionals

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Abstract

This paper discusses the contributions of Lawrence Kohlberg to the teaching of professional ethics. While rejecting Kohlberg's view that the most advanced stages of moral development must embrace utilitarian or Kantian principles, it agrees with Rest and others that postconventional reasoning is essential for professional ethics. However, it raises questions about how differentiations between conventional and postconventional reasoning can reliably be made. Finally, it suggests areas of psychological research other than moral reasoning that would contribute to the teaching of professional ethics.

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Pritchard, M.S. Kohlbergian Contributions to Educational Programs for the Moral Development of Professionals. Educational Psychology Review 11, 395–409 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022013501159

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