Gilligan's Theory of Moral Development vs. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Moral Development
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Moral Development
Moral development encompasses the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and the proper way of interacting with other people. Carol Gilligan and Lawrence Kohlberg explored the theory of moral development and the different paths and stages involved in the development. This paper focuses on Gilligan’s and Kohlberg’s theories of moral development and the similarities and differences between the two theories.
The significant similarity between Gilligan's and Kohlberg's theories is that there are several stages involved and specific goals to be achieved at each stage in each theory. In her theory, Gilligan was able to identify three moral development stages in which the ethics of care were emphasized. These are the pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional stages (Watt & Rindone, 2014). In the first stage, there is a focus by the women on their selves. In the second stage, the focus is on others and responsibilities, while in the third stage, the woman learns the interdependent relationship with others. Similarly, Kohlberg’s theory focused on three levels of development, and each level had two stages. The first level is the pre-conventional level, where people pursue their interests and have not internalized the accepted ethical principles. The second level is the conventional level, emphasizing values such as loyalty, care, and justice. Finally, the post-conventional level is the third level at which there is full internalization of ethical principles.
While the theories are similar in using moral developmental stages, one difference between the two theories is that while Kohlberg emphasized justice in his theory, Gilligan focused mainly on the aspect of care. According to Kohlberg, there ar...