POSTCONVENTIONAL MORALITY
Ages: High school, College, and older.
Stage 5--Social Contract and Individual Rights
People recognize that rules represent agreements between multiple people that establish appropriate behavior. They see rules as useful tools that can maintain the general social order and protect individual rights. However, they also know that while the law is for the good of the majority, they will not always work for particular individuals. For example, in Heinz's dilemma the law against stealing serves to protect many individuals, yet for Heinz it worked against him when he wanted to get the drug for his wife.
Stage 6--Universal Principles
People at this stage develop their own moral guidelines which may or may not fit the law. They base these guidelines on universal principles, such as human rights, justice, and equality, that apply to everyone. These people will defend these principles even if it means going against society and facing the consequences of disapproval and/or imprisonment. According to Kohlberg, few people ever reached this stage. According to people in this moral stage, Heinz was justified in stealing the drug because the chemist was being greedy and it cured his wife, so he should not go to jail.