Carol Gilligan's Ethics of Care

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Gilligan suggests that humans who think in terms of the care orientation define themselves in terms of a system of relationships, connections, loyalties, and circles of concern. The author points out that Gillian's argument is a reaction to the male-centered personality psychology of Freud and Erickson and the male-centered developmental psychology of Kohlberg; her complaint is not that it is unjust and unfair to leave women out of psychology, but rather that it is not good psychology to leave out half the human race. The paper states that Gilligan produced her own stage theory of moral development, which has three major divisions: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. The transitions between the stages are fueled by changes in the sense of self rather than in changes in cognitive capacity.

From the Paper:

"Of course, there has been much criticism of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory; his main opposition being none other that Gilligan who believes that women should not be treated as if they are men. With regards to the question of justice, Gilligan - based on information gathered from sensitive interviews with women - concluded that women are more in tune with being naturally helpful and caring and that people generally connected better with fellow humans rather than rely solely on justice for support. Gilligan alleged that Kohlberg did not fully understand women's development in moral thinking."

More papers on Carol Gilligan's Ethics of Care:

• Term Paper # 92013 : "Ethics of Care"
• Essay # 37193 : "Ethics of HMOs"
• Analytical Essay # 63791 : "Virginia Woolf and Carol Gilligan"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: