The idea of ideal reciprocity as exhibited in the Golden Rule is the key characteristics of which stage of moral development according to Kohlberg?

Option 4 : Good boy- good girl orientation

Lawrence Kohlberg's theory on moral development or moral reasoning can be applied to the classroom where rules, standards, and consequences are concerned. As an educator, consider where your students' personal development lies in terms of Kohlberg's six stages into three levels.

 Level-2: Conventional morality:-   During this time, adolescents and adults internalize the moral standards they have learned from their role models and from society. At this level, people approach moral problems as members of society. There are two stages at this level of morality:-

• Stage 3 - The “good boy–good girl” orientation, or the morality of interpersonal cooperation. The desire to obey rules because they promote social harmony first appears in the context of close personal ties. Stage 3 individuals want to maintain the affection and approval of friends and relatives by being a “good person”—trustworthy, loyal, respectful, helpful, and nice. The capacity to view a two‐person relationship from the vantage point of an impartial, outside observer supports this new approach to morality. At this stage, the individual understands ideal reciprocity, as expressed in the Golden Rule. 

Hence, The idea of ideal reciprocity as exhibited in the Golden Rule is the key characteristic of stage third  “good boy–good girl” orientation of moral development theory.

 Refer to the table to be familiar with all the levels of Kohlberg's theory.