INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN ETHICAL REASONING AMONG LAW STUDENTS

Abstract

Individual differences in ethical reasoning were examined among first-year law school students to determine, among other things, whether gender moderates the process of ethical reasoning. Individuals bring a variety of psychological, philosophical, and ethical orientations to professional life, potentially challenging traditional assumptions concerning appropriate responses to ethical dilemmas. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, this research demonstrates that the individual differences of gender, learning style, and world view are significantly more influential in the use of an ethic of care and justice (i.e., ethical reasoning), compared with personality and moral orientation factors.