\individuals at the level of moral development tend to use a personal code of ethics to guide their moral reasoning and behavior.

This area of study encompasses Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development. Lawrence Kohlberg dedicated his life in studying the moral behavior of children and along the way of their growth cycle. In Kohlberg's theory, there are three levels of moral development. Level 1 is when we basically do not have any moral understanding of ethics at a very young age. As a result, we base our moral guidelines on what we see from elders. In Level 2, we develop a sense of understanding of moral law but we only conform to it without questions so as not to be perceived as 'bad' by others. Lastly, Level 3 is when we develop our personal moral code of ethics. We begin to understand that moral laws are not just mere black and white. It depends on the person, the reason and the situation. By this time, our principles are intact and define who we really are.