Kohlberg emphasized modeling of standards of behavior as the basis for shifts in moral reasoning. Moral reasoning changes as the child's reasoning ability becomes more complex. Kohlberg's theory can be viewed as an extension of Piaget's theory of moral development. Males and females develop a morality of justice. A female's moral reasoning may differ from a male's but is not necessarily inferior to a male's.
Females show a form of moral reasoning that is lower than that seen in males.
All moral judgments made by males and females are based on abstract principles of equity. This same orientation seems to increase in frequency during the adolescent years, particularly among boys. All rights reserved.