Lawrence kohlbergs biography

He served as a professor at the University of Chicago as well as Harvard University. He is famous for his work in moral development and education.

Lawrence kohlberg family

Being a close follower of Jean Piaget 's theory of cognitive development , Kohlberg's work reflects and extends the work of his predecessor. A brilliant scholar, Kohlberg was also passionate about putting theory into practice. He founded several "just community" schools in an attempt to stimulate more mature moral thinking in young people, with the hope that they would become people who would create a more just and peaceful society.

Lawrence Kohlberg grew up in a wealthy family and attended Phillips Academy, a private and renowned high school. During the Second World War , following his high school education, he decided to join the merchant marines. During his time as a sailor he helped Jews escape from Europe by smuggling them into Palestine. After his service in the war he applied to the University of Chicago.

Lawrence kohlberg contribution to psychology

He received his bachelor's degree in psychology in just one year. He wrote his doctoral dissertation there in , outlining what became his theory of moral development. In , at 40 years of age and married with two children, he became a professor of education and social psychology at Harvard University. There he met and befriended Carol Gilligan, who became his colleague and most outspoken critic of his theory.

During a visit to Israel in , Kohlberg journeyed to a kibbutz and was shocked to discover how much more the youths' moral development had progressed compared to those who were not part of kibbutzim. Jarred by what he saw, he decided to rethink his current research and started by beginning a new school within a school, called the Cluster School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Cluster School ran as a "just community" where students and staff had a basic and trustworthy relationship with one another, using democracy to make all the school's decisions.