Comparative Analysis of Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan

Comparative Analysis of Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan Emma Haslam Moral Reasoning Human well-being is not a random phenomenon. It depends on many factors ranging from genetics and neurobiology to sociology and economics. But, clearly, there are scientific truths to be known about how we can flourish in this world. Wherever we can have an impact on the well-being of others, questions of morality apply. Sam Harris (2015) In many respects, the cognitive-developmental paradigm within moral psychology has had an unstable record. First introduced by Baldwin (1906), then taken up but quickly abandoned by Piaget (1932, 1965), many years passed before it was reintroduced and fully delineated by Kohlberg (1971, 1984). The limitations of the moral domain have now been extended well beyond those of Kohlberg’s justice research to include other orientations to moral understanding such as Carol Gilligan’s ‘Care’ research (1982). The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two theories of moral reasoning with reference to empirical research. Named theories include Lawrence Kohlbergs Justice and Carol Gilligans Care. This piece will focus on the studies individually as well as comparing the similarities and differences for both and will also look into some critical reviews from other research that has been conducted since regarding care and justice. The reason for choosing Kohlberg and Gilligans pieces of research are because both are leading researchers in the field of cognitive development and the research is known and used by academics worldwide. Lawrence Kohlberg was a developmental psychologist who studied Piagets constructivist theory and continued to base his own work around the model constructed by Piaget. This led to Kohlberg developing his own cognitive developmental model known today as ‘Justice’. Kohlberg had a direction for his research and that was to focus on the reasoning behind answers. Feminists (among other) have criticised the hegemony of justice reasoning in Kohlberg’s theory, proposing that a more relational, â€Å"care and response† orientation is an equally valid conception of morality and one that is more often representative of the moral experience of a woman (e.g. Gilligan 1982; Noddings, 1984). Carol Gilligan became a student and research assistant of Lawrence Kohlberg in 1970 and provided her own justifications from Kohlberg’s original addition and proposed considering gender identity and therefore made another discovery within the field of cognitive developmental psychology that Kohlberg did not consider. Kohlberg began his research looking into how children develop from birth and continued the research to span an entire lifetime. ‘The founding principle of development was the recognition of the value of justice, acceptance of justice as a governing factor of an individual’s own actions and also a philosophical understanding of justice’ (Kohlberg, 1971). This shows very early on that everything was based around understanding justice and how it applied to an individual’s understanding towards moral reasoning. The first questions provide evidence for this and it is stated How to avoid punishment from a punitive point of view (Kohlberg, 1984). This statement highlights the fact that the empirical research is justice based. There are three main stages to Kohlberg’s research with six sub-sections. ‘The first is the Pre conventional stage Obedience and punishment orientation (How can I avoid punishment?), Self-interest orientation, (Whats in it for me ?), (Paying for a benefit). The second stage is Conventional, Interpersonal accord and conformity (Social norms) (The good boy/girl attitude), Authority and social-order maintaining orientation (Law and order morality) and the final is Level 3, Post-Conventional, Social contract orientation, Universal ethical principles, (Principled conscience).’ (Kohlberg, 1971). Gilligan would go on to criticise Kohlberg’s theory as Kohlberg only studied privileged white men and boys, Gilligan felt this caused a bias opinion against women. Gilligan designed a paradigm of female development centralised on the subject of caring as a formative virtue. This was based around Kohlberg’s original ideas and structure. Gilligan wanted to outline that women were not â€Å"moral midgets† and was also against many psychological opinions such as another great theorist, Erikson who believed that the tasks of development were separation from the mother and family. If women did not succeed on this scale then those individuals were â€Å"obviously lacking†. Therefore Gilligan’s goal was seen as a good case for feminism and psychology as a whole. The view focused on the individual’s growth to care for and better understand others. Gilligan’s earliest transition for the stages of development suggests a move from self interest to a responsibility for others (Arnold, 2000). The male life form was seen as a norm. Psychologists that performed research before for example Freud, Piaget and Erikson; all had male points of view and focused mainly on male cognitive development. The previous views are shown to be neither neutral nor impartial. There is no room for care or human relationships which are essential parts for morals of maturity (Gilligan, 1977). Kohlberg’s study group subjected only male participants to the research, whereas Gilligan’s study group was subject to only female participants. Early constructivist views of cognitive development show little between genders. Gilligan observed that the alienation felt from Kohlberg’s views were the result from his studies having a skewed perspective towards male development as most of the research conducted in the field prior to Kohlberg. The result of this was a formative foundation for male cognitive development. Kohlberg discovered that male subjects develop in relation to the understanding of justice, from simple punitive evasion to a satisfied philosophical acceptance for the meaning of justice. Gilligan’s study group was a duplicate study of Kohlberg’s work with, alternate focus that allowed for comparison for any significant differences in gender development. Females follow a different trend of cognitive and that focuses around caring and a r espect for life. Gilligan discovered that female subjects develop in the understanding of humanity, developing from simple obedience to a universal philosophical understanding of morality. ‘Gilligan also discovered that a morality of care can also serve in place of the morality of justice and rights earlier theorised by Kohlberg. Gilligan views morality of care and morality of justice as distinct yet also connecting’. (Young, 1999). Gilligan believed that the care based morality was prominent in women. Co-operation, compromise makes levels of overall happiness much higher in women. This is partially due to how men and women are socialised. Unlike Kohlberg’s three main and six sub stages, Gilligan’s research only comprised of three stages, Pre-conventional where one learns to care for oneself, Conventional, this shows that and individual put their own needs behind them to care for others and finally the post-conventional stage. This is when a balance is rea ched and the individual learns to care for themselves and others at the same time. All of the research conducted by both Kohlberg and Gilligan has had critical reviews by other researches in the field however, the basis of the research is crucial to knowing a basing around the moral foundation of an individual. In conclusion, most moral psychologists accepted that there are two types of moral reasoning which are Kohlberg’s justice and Gilligans care, although Kohlberg’s vast legacy to moral psychology is widely acknowledged to far outweigh the shortcomings of his theory, in recent years there has been a growing sense within the cognitive-developmental paradigm that a more comprehensive theory of morality is long overdue. By more closely attending to the contextual and subjective features of morality of everyday life, this contemporary work lays the foundation for a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of the moral person. Further research within this field is widely anticipated to gain greater knowledge around how and why people view and practice moral behaviour in society and within oneself. References Arnold, M. (2000). Stage, Sequence, and Sequels: Changing Conceptions of Morality, Post-Kohlberg. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from http://202.119.108.48/dyxr/Text/2008-01-03-03-21-01d03sf445zxbupn3k5ed2e555_4.pdf Ashcraft, K., Mumby, D. (2004). Reworking gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Blum, L. (1988). Gilligan and Kohlberg: Implications for Moral Theory. ETHICS, 98(3), 472. doi:10.1086/292966 BrainyQuote,. (2015). Sam Harris Quotes at BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/samharris527746.html Elorrieta-Grimalt, M. (2012). A Critical Analysis of Moral Education According to Lawrence Kohlberg. Educ.Educ, 15(3), 497-512. doi:10.5294/edu.2012.15.3.9 Kohlberg, L. (1968). Early Education: A Cognitive-Developmental View. Child Development, 39(4), 1013. doi:10.2307/1127272 Reed, T. (1987). Developmental Moral Theory:The Psychology of Moral Development. Lawrence Kohlberg. ETHICS, 97(2), 441. doi:10.1086/292850 Whetnall, E. (1933). The Moral Judgment of the Child. By Jean Piaget. (International Library of Psychology and Philosophy. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trà ¼bner Co. 1932. Pp. ix + 417. Price 12s. 6d.). Philosophy, 8(31), 373. doi:10.1017/s0031819100033131

Body Shop :: essays research papers

Written Case – Body Shop, pp. 72-73 1) Is Anita Roddick correct when she claims that it is possible to run a business in a very ethical and socially responsible manner and still â€Å"give shareholders a wondrous return on their investment†? Answer: I think her statement is probably correct and I appreciate it too. However, I would noted that the natures of environmental concerns and considerations for the people in third world countries are somehow contrary to the stockholders’ satisfaction. If people have no more interest on how Body Shop concern humanity or if there are any news that dishonored Body Shop contributions (just like what happened in the case), it would be a crisis for its stock price. 2) Is the percentages of ingredients that come from Trade not Aid project an irrelevant statistic, as Gordon Roddick claims? Answer: I think it is not an irrelevant statistic for the public to evaluate Body Shop contributions. However, I would say that it is inadequate information that might mislead the public. I agree that we should also look at those courses that Body Shop had taken to solve difficulties to reach the goal to help people. But the general public would not realize them easier, that is why we need statistic. I would suggest Body Shop to issue quarterly report on the journey of help people in order to support the statisic. 3) In light of the ethicvs audit report, evaluate Body Shop’s claim to be ethically responsible. Answer: I would say that, as a commercial company, Body Shop is being one of the most ethically responsible companies. It takes

Success Is a Journey Not a Destination

(a) In the following passage, fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space. Example: (0) discussed. The other day we (0) ______(discuss) the attitudes of people in our country. Why (1) _____ (be) most of them rude and aggressive? Pritam asked. Sanjana (2) ______(say) that it (3) _____(be) because there (4) ________(be) too many people and one had to fight for everything.Nirode (5)______(insist) that it (6) ______(be) the climate. We (7) _______(be) as efficient and polite as Europeans if only our weather (8) _______ (be) better. [4] (ii) Joe? s parents are sick ________ his behaviour. (iii) Colonel Gurmeet congratulated the soldiers _______ their victory. (iv) The planet was seen ________ the telescope. (v) The news of his promotion came ________the next day. (vi) He is not afraid _______ the consequences. (vii) He rushed ______ the class as he was late. viii) The school is famous _______its sports achievements. [4] (c) Joint the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so. (i) Sonia asked a riddle. I was unable to solve it. (ii) John helped Thomas. Thomas will always be grateful. (iii) Rajan is a great Cricketer. He is also popular. (iv) Adnan sang a wonderful song. It became a hit. (i) We had not even walked one kilometre when they stopped us. (Begin: Hardly †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦) (ii) The memory is so vivid that I will never forget it. Use „too? in place of „so? ) (iii) That need not happen. (Rewrite: using does. ) (iv) Food and sleep were all we cared about. (Begin: All †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) (v) We sat there face to face with our accuser. (Begin: There †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) (vi) Herbert consulted his parents before accepting the job offer. (Begi n: Herbert did not †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) (vii) Put your tools away, the children may fall over them (Use: lest†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦) (viii) It was the last time he saw his wife. (Begin: Never†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦)

The Case of Horton v. Meskill - 988 Words

During the 1970’s, Connecticut was a very prosperous state with growing numbers of minorities. Many of these minorities would tend to live in the same neighborhoods which would lead to other races, like whites, leaving an area and moving to a new area away from these minorities. We learned about white flight in The Children in Room E4, but this has been relevant for many decades. These whites may have not moved out of state, but just away from the minority neighborhoods to places like the suburbs. This tended to cause property values to decrease in the minority neighborhoods, making it cheaper for more minorities to move in, but also harder for the minorities to move to areas where white people may be living like the suburbs. With decreased property values beginning to happen, the property taxes were also beginning to decrease. This is what led to the development of the case Horton v. Meskill. Also during this time, the United States was barely a decade old from all of the seg regation it had experienced during the 1960’s. the segregation had an influence on why whites were moving away from the minorities, which was causing these public school property tax funding’s to be low. Even though segregation de jure was outlawed at this time, there were still people living by segregation de facto. The people did not realize this at this time in the 1970’s, but it eventually built up momentum and became relevant in the Connecticut court case Sheff v. O’Neill. After the decision was