Moral reasoning: The influence of affective personality, dilemma content and gender

In this study we examined the influence of affective personality, perfectionism, gender, arousal, and dilemma content on moral reasoning. A total of 264 participants were presented with moral dilemmas to which they had to provide a solution that reflected various degrees of justice and care. The results indicated that a) affective personality had an effect on moral reasoning, b) female participants reported higher levels of care morality than did male participants, c) gender interacted with perfectionism in the production of moral standpoints, and d) dilemma content exerted a strong effect on the participants’ use of moral strategy. It was concluded that although moral reasoning appears to be governed primarily by the dilemma content at hand, an individual’s moral solutions are influenced by gender and affective state.