GILLIGAN’S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Educational Background
 Carol Gilligan is a contemporary
psychologist who has conducted extensive
research into women's approach to moral
problems.
 Born: November 28, 1936. New York City.
 Studied: Swarthmore College
(Undergraduate of Literature) and
graduated from Radcliffe in 1960 with a
master degree in Psychology. In 1964, she
received her Doctor if Philosophy in
Psychology in 1964 in Harvard University.
 1967: Teacher in Harvard University.
 Other Universities: Princeton
University and Michigan State
University.
 1992 and 1993: Professor at the
University of Cambridge.
 1997: Chair of Gender Studies at
Harvard.
 2002: New York University
 Awards: Grawemeyer Award for
Education, and Heinz Award for
Human Condition.
BACKGROUND OF GILLIGAN'S THEORY
• Gilligan is a pioneer in the field of gender
difference psychology, which argues that the  These stages follow Kohlberg's
sexes tend to think differently, particularly moral stages of:
when it comes to moral problems.
1. Preconventional
• Her best-known contribution to psychology 2. conventional
is her adaptation of Lawrence Kohlberg's
theory of moral development. 3.postconventional
• Gilligan’s work on moral development
outlines how a woman’s morality is
influenced by relationships and how women
form their moral and ethical foundation
based on how their decisions will affect
others. She believes that women tend to
develop morality in stages.
GILLIGAN’S THEORY OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT

ORIENTATION OF
INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL AND
TRANSITION

GOODNESS AS SELF
SACRIFICE

MORALITY OF NON
VIOLENCE
Level 1: Pre-Conventional

( Orientation to Individual Survival )

 This shows the individual as self-centered and unable
to distinguish between necessity and desire.
 Person only cares for themselves in order to ensure
survival
 This is how everyone is as children
LEVEL 2: CONVENTIONAL
(Goodness as self-sacrifice.)
• Caring for others more, than themselves.
• Puts the needs of others more than their own.
• Feels responsible for others.
• May use guilt to manipulate others when attempting to help.
SACRIFICE
EXAMPLE:
Giliggan’s Stages of Ethic of Care

 Level 2: Goodness as Self Sacrifice

 Individual places greater reliance on others and yearns for
social acceptance
 Second Transition: Goodness to Truth
 The individual questions why she places other’s needs above
her own.
 Questioning comparative value of self vs other
 Conclusion
 The Ethics of Care and the Developing Sense of Self Movement through
Gilligan's stages of moral development hinges on an evolving sense of self.
At the Pre-conventional Level, only the needs of the self are recognized; at
the Conventional Level, the needs of others are prioritized while the needs
of the self are denied; at the Post Conventional Level, a balance is struck
between the needs of the self and others. Transition through these levels
is based on a woman's reconsideration of what she considers selfish.
Throughout these levels, women's sense of self, and the sense of morality
that arises because of it, are driven by their feelings of connection and
responsibility toward others, which gradually evolve to encompass others
and then expand to encompass everyone, including the self.
 Conclusion
 Critiques of Gilligan's Theory While Gilligan's ideas were groundbreaking,
some feminist psychologists have also criticized them because they treat
women's voices as a single homogenous entity while ignoring the diversity
of women based on age, class, race, and other factors. Moreover, some
have expressed concern over the suggestion that women emphasize care
and connection more than men, arguing that this reinforces traditional
ideas about femininity while potentially continuing to push women into
caregiver roles Gilligan's observations have also been critiqued as the
result of societal expectations of men and women, not innate gender
differences, which means that men's and women's moral development
would follow different paths if society's expectations were different.