Dr. Thomas Lickona explains the stages of development humans go through in his book Raising Good Children. In the chapter, "The Stages of Moral Reasoning: Preschool to Adulthood," he describes the ideal development one must reach to become an individual - to become "hip." Stage 1 through 4 of Lickona's theory of moral development range from being completely concerned with authority, to being self-centered, to becoming unselfish, to doing what is best for society. The early stages of development start at a pre-conventional position and expand to conventional, but it is the position past conventional that allows one to be an individual.
Lickona calls stage 5 the "stage of principled conscience." A person developed to the point of stage 5 has respect for the law of society, but knows when to bend the rules. He or she values individual rights and says "Look, any social system exists to benefit its individual members, not the other way around. No system should ever violate the rights of the people it was founded to protect." This individual understands when the moral right of members of society is a priority over particular rules, and he or she makes a stand to defend this concept. This nonconformist view on life is the essential basis of being "hip."
Lickona calls stage 5 the "stage of principled conscience." A person developed to the point of stage 5 has respect for the law of society, but knows when to bend the rules. He or she values individual rights and says "Look, any social system exists to benefit its individual members, not the other way around. No system should ever violate the rights of the people it was founded to protect." This individual understands when the moral right of members of society is a priority over particular rules, and he or she makes a stand to defend this concept. This nonconformist view on life is the essential basis of being "hip."