Abstract
Grounded in the wider framework of Kohlberg's (1984) stage theory of moral development and Habermas' (1981; Habermas & Luhmann, 1971) theory of discourse, this article addresses the question: Is a moral stage 6 society possible? Toward answering this question, a sociological approach to moral stage 6 is employed that complements the usual psychological approach to moral development. The article posits that a moral stage 6 society is impossible. Therefore, lower-stage institutions cannot be abolished; they have to be controlled and supervised. This calls for a new and structurally different type of discourse, the metadiscourse. The article postulates that such metadiscourse has the property of moral stage 7 according to the general stage model (Commons & Richards, 1984a, 1984b). Finally, several strategies for controlling lower-stage institutions are considered, with bureaucracy serving as example of a lower-stage institution.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Argyris, C. (1987).Personality and organization: The conflict between system and the individual. New York: Garland.
Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (1967).The social construction of reality: A treatise on the sociology of knowledge. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Commons, M. L., & Richards, F. A. (1984a). A general model of stage theory. In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon (Eds.),Beyond formal operations: Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development (pp.120–140). New York: Praeger.
Commons, M. L., & Richards, F. A. (1984b). Applying the general stage model. In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon (Eds.),Beyond formal operations: Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development (pp. 141–157). New York: Praeger.
Edwards, C. P. (1981). The comparative study of the development of moral judgment and reasoning. In R. H. Munroe, R. H. Munroe, & B. B. Whiting (Eds.),Handbook of cross-cultural human development (pp. 501–528). New York: Garland.
Gehlen, A. (1988).Man, his nature and place in the world. New York: Columbia University Press.
Habermas, J. (1968).Technik und Wissenschaft als “Ideologie.” Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
Habermas, J. (1973).Kultur und Kritik. Verstreute Aufsätze. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
Habermas, J. (1976).Zur Rekonstruktion des Historischen Materialismus. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
Habermas, J. (1981).Theorie des Kommunikativen Handelns (2 Vols.) Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
Habermas, J., & Luhmann, N. (1971).Theorie der Gesellschaft oder Sozialtechnologie—Was leistet die Systemforschung? Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
Higgins, A. (1987). Moralische Erziehung in der Gerechte Gemeinschaft-Schule. Üeber schulpraktische Erfahrungen in den USA. In G. Lind & J. Raschert (Eds.),Moralische Urteilsfähigkeit: Eine Auseinandersetzung mit Lawrence Kohlberg über Moral. Erziehung und Demokratie (pp. 54–72). Weinheim and Basel: Beltz Verlag.
Kelman, H. C. (1958). Compliance, identification, and internalization: Three processes of attitude change.Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2, 51–60.
Kelman, H. C. (1961). The processes of social influence.Public Opinion Quarterly, 25, 57–78.
Kelman, H. C. (1969). Patterns of personal involvement in the national system. A social-psychological analysis of political legitimacy. In J. N. Rosenau (Ed.),International politics and foreign policy (2nd ed.) (pp. 276–288). New York: Free Press.
Kohlberg, L. (1984).Essays on moral development: Vol. 2. The psychology of moral development: Moral stages, their nature and validity. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Luhmann, N. (1970).Soziologische Aufklärung 1. Aufsätze zur Theorie Sozialer Systeme. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.
Luhmann, N. (1975a).Soziologische Aufklärung 2. Aufsätze zur Theorie der Gesellschaft. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.
Luhmann, N. (1975b).Legitimation durch Verfahren. Darmstadt: Luchterhand.
Okun, A. M. (1975).Equality and efficiency: The big tradeoff. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
Perrow, C. (1986).Complex organizations. A critical essay. (3rd ed.). New York: Random House.
Power, C. (1988). The just community approach to moral education.Journal of Moral Education, 17(3), 195–208.
Rogoff, B., & Morelli, G. (1989). Perspectives on children's development from cultural psychology.American Psychologist, 44(2), 343–348.
Sonnert, G., & Commons, M. L. (July, 1991).Society and the highest stages of moral development. Paper presented at the 6th Adult Development Symposium, Boston, MA.
Weber, M. (1968).Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology. New York: Bedminster Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sonnert, G. Limits of morality: A sociological approach to higher moral stages. J Adult Dev 1, 127–134 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02259678
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02259678