Counselors must understand major theories of human development as part of their Areas of Clinical Focus. Carol Gilligan (A) is known for her work on moral development in females, challenging Kohlberg’s male-centered model. She argued that women’s moral reasoning often emphasizes care, relationships, and responsibility, and that this pattern was not adequately captured in earlier theories that relied heavily on male samples.

Her research opened the door for a more nuanced understanding of gender differences in moral reasoning, which is important for counselors when conceptualizing clients’ values, decision-making, and developmental tasks.

The other theorists focus on different areas:

Virginia Satir (B) is associated with family systems and communication patterns in families.

Anne Roe (C) is known for a theory of career development related to early child–parent relationships.

Karen Horney (D) contributed to neo-Freudian psychoanalytic theory and explored personality and feminine psychology but did not specifically develop a major model of moral development in females.

Gilligan’s work supports counselors in recognizing diverse developmental pathways and avoiding gender-biased assumptions when understanding clients’ moral judgments and values.