Carol Gilligan has critiqued Kohlberg's theory of moral development :

Question

Accepted Answer

Carol Gilligan critiqued Kohlberg's theory of moral development from a feminist perspective, which is why Option 2 is the correct answer. Gilligan argued that Kohlberg's model, which was based primarily on studies of male subjects, did not adequately represent the moral development of women. She believed that Kohlberg's stages of moral development were biased towards a justice-oriented perspective, which is more commonly associated with male patterns of moral reasoning.

Gilligan proposed that women tend to approach moral issues differently, often emphasizing care, relationships, and responsibility to others rather than abstract principles of justice. Her critique highlighted the importance of including diverse perspectives in psychological research and theory development, particularly those of women, which had been historically overlooked.

Now, let's examine why the other options are incorrect:

1. **Option 1: from a social cognitive perspective.**
   - This option is incorrect because Gilligan's critique was not rooted in social cognitive theory, which focuses on how people learn from observing others and how they process social information. Her critique was specifically about the gender bias in Kohlberg's theory and the need to incorporate a care-based perspective, which is distinct from the social cognitive approach.

3. **Option 3: for not giving adequate importance to genetic factors.**
   - This option is incorrect because Gilligan's critique did not focus on genetic factors. Her argument was centered around the gender bias in Kohlberg's research and the need to recognize different moral reasoning patterns between men and women. Genetic factors were not a part of her critique.

4. **Option 4: for using case study as the research method.**
   - This option is incorrect because Gilligan's critique was not about the research method Kohlberg used. While Kohlberg did use longitudinal studies and interviews, Gilligan's main concern was the gender bias in his sample and the resulting theory, not the methodology itself.

In summary, Carol Gilligan's critique of Kohlberg's theory was fundamentally about the gender bias and the need to include a feminist perspective that recognizes the moral reasoning patterns of women, making Option 2 the correct answer.