In Kohlberg's theory, each of these levels are considered to be sequential. However, even though preconventional is generally followed by conventional, conventional is only sometimes followed by postconventional. This is because not everyone necessarily makes it to the postconventional level.

This graph represents how moral statements representative of Kohlberg's levels of morality are responded to by people of different ages. Here we see a decline in thinking at the preconventional level in relation to age while there seems to be a general increase in thinking at the conventional and postconventional levels in relation to age.