Concepts of Self and Morality Gilligan

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Concepts of Self and MoralityGilligan

• This chapter explores how womens ways of
  constructing and resolving moral issues is
  brought to bear on the decision whether or not to
  terminate a pregnancy to have or not to have an
  abortion.
• Gilligan examines the psychological logic of an
  ethic of care.

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Three Views of Morality Justice Approach
(Kohlberg)
Individual
Preconventional
Conventional
Societal
Postconventional
Universal
Pp. 72 73
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The logic underlying an ethic of care is a
psychological logic of relationships, which
contrasts with the formal logic of fairness that
informs the justice approach Womens
constructions of the abortion dilemma in
particular reveal the existence of a distinct
moral language whose evolution traces a sequence
of development p. 73
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Three Different Views of Care (Gilligan)
Care for self as selfish (responsibility only for
self)
Survival
Care for others as good (responsibility only for
others, self-sacrifice)
Goodness
Reflective understanding of care
Care for self and others (interdependence of
responsibility of self and others)
P.74 105
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The moral imperative that emerges repeatedly in
interviews with women is an injunction to care, a
responsibility to discern And alleviate the real
and recognizable trouble of this world... In the
development of a postconventional ethical
understanding, women come to see the violence
inherent in inequality, while men come to see the
limitations of a conception of justice blinded to
the differences in human life. p. 100
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Questions to consider

• What are the components of an ethic of care?
• What is the psychological logic of relationships?
• How is this different from the justice reasoning
  approach to resolving moral issues?

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Question from Gilligans Study

• How would you describe yourself to yourself?
• What makes an issue moral?
• Are there principles that guide you?