Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

American Beauty (1999) is filled with characters facing moral choices - and almost always choosing whatever society would consider to be the immoral path. Lester Burnham is a 42-year-old man in the middle of an enormous mid-life crisis. He is estranged from his real estate agent wife, Carolyn, and his teenage daughter, Jane, who both see him as a loser. His new next-door neighbors include the straight-arrow Marine colonel, Frank Fitz, his almost catatonic wife, and their son, Ricky, a drug dealer and amateur videographer who develops a fascination with Jane.

Lester begins the story with a voice-over that announces, "In less than a year, I'll be dead" (American, 1999). The events

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ay" (p. 1). As Robert N. Barger (2000) describes it, "This level is characterized by a view that right behavior means acting in one's own best interests" (p. 1). Because Ricky's moral development has not progressed to the Conventional Level, he remains free of society's demands. The fact that he has not moved on to these stages by late adolescence and has found his own ways of functioning effectively at this Pre-conventional Level makes it unlikely that he will ever make the transition unless some significant event forces him to progress further. No such advancement is suggested by the events of the movie. His father is far more advanced morally, even though the moral choice he eventually makes is much more socially disastrous than the choices his son selects. Colonel Fitz has made it to the Second Stage of the Second Level, the place that, according to Kohlberg, most adults reach as functioning members of society. He is in the Law and Order Stage, an appropriate advancement for a USMC officer. As Kohlberg (1971) describes it, "Right behavior consists in doing one's duty, showing respect for authority, and maintaining the given social order for its own sake" (p. 2). Fitz tells his son, "You can't just go around doing what
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Principled Level, Lester Burnham, Law Stage, Orientation Barger, Stage Level, American Beauty, Alan Ball, Frank Fitz, Pre-conventional Level, Robert Barger, kohlberg 1971, moral development, american 1999, american beauty, 1971 2, kohlberg 1971 2, moral choices, barger 2000, stages moral development, lester burnham, lawrence kohlberg=s, stages moral, american beauty 1999,
Approximate Word count = 1360
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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