the concept that the cognitive processes associated with moral judgment develop through a number of universal variant stages. According to the theory, there are three main levels: the preconventional level, the conventional level, and the postconventional level. Broadly speaking, the morally developed individual moves from a selfish concern with rewards and punishments, through a reliance on fixed rules and conventional attitudes, to a position of independent principled judgment. See also Heinz dilemma. [Lawrence Kohlberg]