Social Work Licensing Practice Exam

Kohlberg's theory is primarily associated with moral development because it specifically addresses how individuals progress through different stages of moral reasoning. Developed by Lawrence Kohlberg, this theory outlines a six-stage framework that reflects the evolution of a person’s moral reasoning from a simplistic, punishment-and-obedience orientation to a more complex understanding of universal ethical principles.

Kohlberg's stages are categorized into three levels: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. Within these levels, individuals make moral decisions based on either self-interest, societal norms and laws, or ethical principles that transcend specific rules. The focus of his theory is on the cognitive processes involved in making moral judgments and how factors such as age and social experiences influence this growth.

This theory's emphasis on reasoning and the developmental aspect of morality sets it apart from the other options. Freud’s psychosexual theory concentrates on personality development through childhood stages related to sexual drives rather than moral reasoning. Pavlov's classical conditioning pertains to learning behaviors through associations rather than moral development. Skinner's operant conditioning focuses on behavior modification through reinforcement and punishment, which is not related directly to moral reasoning or ethical considerations. Thus, Kohlberg’s framework remains the most relevant to understanding moral development.