Cognitive Moral Development and Real Estate Practitioners

Abstract

In recent years, researchers in many organizational disciplines have begun to approach the study of ethics from a cognitive theoretical framework. This study has investigated the ethical reasoning of real estate practitioners using Kohlberg's cognitive moral development (CMD) approach, a potent theoretical concept with a considerable research literature. Using standardized measures of CMD on groups of Realtors® and controlling for level of education, the results of this study show that real estate practitioners compare favorably with other professional and societal groups. Further, when entered independently CMD was a significant indicator, along with education and experience, of success in real estate.