Kohlberg's theory of moral development consists of six stages within three levels known as preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality. Kohlberg calls the first stage of thinking “preconventional” because at this point children are unable to speak as members of society. Instead, they see morality as what adults say they should do. Kohlberg believes that moral development is a process that occurs throughout life and does not end at any point. It is not so much focused on the right or wrong answer, but on the reasoning behind the decision-making process. The first stage of preconventional morality focuses on obedience and punishment. This stage is most commonly seen in younger children. This is because children see rules as fixed and certain things. Following rules is important and must be done because this is how a child believes he or she will avoid punishment. A child will remember a specific thing they did and come to the conclusion that because it resulted in punishment last time, it would be wrong to do it again. The more severe the punishment for the act, the worse the act is perceived to be. Although this stage is more common in children, adults are also persuaded by the fear of punishment and will base their actions accordingly, but with more of a sense of why. The second stage consists of concepts such as individualism and exchange. At this stage children recognize that there is no right vision conveyed by the authorities. Different individuals have different views (McLeod). Children take individual points of view into account and act on how these can meet individual needs. The main priority is usually to serve one's own interests. The second stage reasoning shows little concern for the other... middle of the paper... the rules or laws are not justified. This can lead a person to go against a law because it is not considered fair, instead of not caring. An individual at this stage will act for the reason that something is morally right or wrong, not because it avoids punishment, is in his or her best interests, expected, legal, or previously agreed upon. Although Kohlberg insisted on the existence of stage 6, it was very difficult to identify individuals who consistently operated at this level. All of Kohlberg's stages evaluate consequences, but the primary focus is behavior and how thinking leads to certain actions. A child or an adult can often classify himself in several stages at once and base actions on different moral thinking. Of course this theory is open to criticism, however it is difficult to deny the truth in these phases and how it never goes unnoticed in everyday life.