Theory of theEthics of Care

Carol Gilligan

• Gilligan was a student of developmental psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg, who introduced the
theory of stages of moral development.

• However, she felt that her mentor’s theory did not adequately address the gender differences of
moral development due to the fact that the participants in Kohlberg’s study were predominately
male and because his theory did not include the caring perspective.

• Gilligan argued that males and females are often socialized differently, and females are more apt
than males to stress interpersonal relationships and take responsibility for the well-being of
others.

• She suggested this difference is due to the child’s relationship with the mother and that females
are traditionally taught a moral perspective that focuses on community and caring about
personal relationships.

• According to Gilligan, male development begins with selfish self interest and moves toward
greater reliance on abstract principles of justice.

• Females progress from self interest toward a balanced concern for the welfare of self and
others.

• Female moral reasoning centers on the needs of people rather than on abstractions.

Principles of Care-Based Morality

1. Emphasis on interconnectedness and universality.

2. Acting justly means avoiding violence and helping those in need.

• Care-based morality is thought to be more common in girls because of their connections to

their mothers.

• Because girls remain connected to their mothers, they are less inclined to worry about issues
of fairness.

Principles of Justice-Based Morality

1. It views the world as being composed of autonomous individuals who interact with one another.
2. Acting justly means avoiding inequality.

• These principles are thought to be more common in boys because of their need to
differentiate between themselves and their mothers.

• Because they are separated from their mothers, boys become more concerned with the
concept of inequality.

Sample Scenario

A community of moles gives shelter to a homeless porcupine. The moles, however, are constantly
stabbed by the porcupine’s quills. What should they do?
 • Individuals with a justice-based perspective tend to see any dilemma as a conflict between
different claims.

• The moles want one thing; the porcupine wants something incompatible.

• They can’t have both a valid claim to the burrow, so only one of them could be right.

• A solution to the dilemma is not a resolution of the conflict; it’s a verdict in which one gets
everything and the other side gets nothing.

• The care-based perspective approaches the problem differently.

• Rather than seeing all the parties as separate individuals with their own valid or invalid
claims, it sees them as already in a difficult situation together.

• If there is a conflict between them, that is part of the problem.

• The point is not to decide the conflict one way or the other but to find a way to get around it
or remove it.

• This perspective starts from the particular case of the actual people within it and hopes to
find a solution that will not damage anyone.

• It is ready to embrace compromise and creative solutions.

Gilligan’s Theory of Stages of Moral Development

STAGE GOAL TRANSITION

1. Preconventional Individual survival From selfishness to

responsibility fo others
The young child’s first sense of what is “right” is
what is good for her/him.

Young children follow rules to obtain rewards for

themselves and to avoid punishment

2. Conventional Self sacrifice is goodness Goodness to truth - that s/he

is a person too.
This stage is attained after becoming aware of
the needs of others.

The person believes that to be good and to be

approved by others, they must sacrifice their own
needs and meet the needs of others.

3. Post conventional Principle of nonviolence - to not hurt others or self Everyone’s needs should be
met when possible; sacrifices
The person views their own needs as equal to should be shared equally
those of others. when the needs of different
persons cannot be met.
The person has progressed from believing that
they must always please others at the expense of Advocacy of non-violence.
their own wishes.
It is not right for anyone to be
intentionally hurt, including
the person themselves,
 • For girls and women, the moral ideal is not the abstract, impersonal concept of justice that
Kohlberg documented in his male subjects, but one of caring and relationships.

• The central issue in determining what is moral is not the rules that prevail in the wold of people
standing alone, but the need to protect enduring relationships and fulfill human needs.

Differences between the Justice Model and Ethics of Care Model

JUSTICE ETHICS OF CARE

Emphasis on autonomy Emphasis on relationships

Rule and principle directed Context dependent

Appeal to what is just Appeal to “compromise and accommodation”

Focus on integrity Focus on caring responsiveness

Jake” “Stealing is wrong.” Amy: “It depends . . .”

Should Heinz Steal the Drug?

Amy’s answer:

Well, I don’t think so . . . He really should not steal the drug - but his wife shouldn’t die
either. If he stole the drug, he might save her, but if he did, he might have to go to jail, and
then his wife might get sicker again, and he couldn’t get more drug. . . So they should really
just talk it out and find some other way to make money.”

Key Elements of the Ethics of Care

1. Moral attention: One must pay attention to the complexity of the situation; gather information
and immerse oneself into the principle issues.

2. Sympathetic understanding: Story of Iris Murdock and her daughter in law

• Iris went from seeing her as “vulgar” to seeing her as “naive and charming.”

3. Relationship awareness: This is an issue of accounting and accountability

4. Harmony: One must respond in a way that balance is preserved and nurtured.

Conditions to Having an Obligation to Care

1. A relationship exists.

2. A need for care exists.

3. We have the ability to provide care.

Caring for Strangers

• If the need for care exists and our ability to provide care for others is not strained or exhausted,
then we do have an obligation.

“If we can prevent something bad without sacrificing anything of comparable significance,
we ought to do it. . .”

Peter Singer. “Famine, Affluence and Morality

How Do We Ensure that Everyone Gets the Care They Need?

• Networks of Care - instead of a reciprocal contract, we build a community of care - as long as no

one is exhausted in their capacity to care and no one is not given care, then the goal has been
accomplished.

Is Care Based on Reciprocity?

• Restricting obligations to care based solely on reciprocity results in some problems:

1. Those incapable of returning care would never receive care they need.

2. Relationships would fail to be based on the core principle of care and become contractual -
and perhaps egocentric - “What’s in it for me?”

Caring Burnout

• We are not obligated to care if our resources are exhausted.

• Care includes care for oneself - which should not necessarily be regarded as in conflict with
care for others.

References/Sources

Bernstein, Douglas et al. (1991). Psychology, 2nd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Derlega, Valerian J, Barbara A. Winstead and Warren H. Jones (2005) Petsonality: Contemporary
Theory and Research, 3rd ed., CA: Thomson-Wadworth.

Lahey, Benjamin B. (2007). Psychology: An Introduction, 9th ed., USA: McGraw-Hill International
Edition

https://study.com/academy/lesson/carol-gilligans-thoery-of-moral-development.html

http://www.cabrillo.edu/~cclose/docs/Feminist_Ethics.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol Gilligan

http://lfkkb.tripod.com/eng24/gilliganstheory.html