Briefly describe the six stages of moral development and reasoning identified by Lawrence Kohlberg.

Lawrence Kohlberg identified six stages of moral development and reasoning,which he grouped into three major levels.Each level represents a shift in the social-moral perspective of the individual that explains how judgments affect action.Each level is also comprised of two stages.The stages of moral development are:
Preconventional Level
Stage 1:Obedience and punishment -act to avoid consequences
Stage 2:Instrumental purpose and exchange -acting in one's own interest
Conventional Level
Stage 3:Interpersonal accord,conformity to group norms -act to meet expectations of peers or organization
Stage 4:Social accord and system maintenance -meet expectations of society as expressed in laws.
Postconventional Level
Stage 5:Social contract -attempt to get social consensus and tolerance
Stage 6:Universal ethical principles -acts are consistent with personal moral principles,seeking the greater good.