This paper attempts to find some similiarities among different theories of moral development, presenting a literature review of research and a comparative analysis of results on three questions. The questions considered are: (1) What is the role of cognitive competence in moral development and what optimizes the cognitive aspects of moral growth? (2) What is the role of affect in moral development, and what optimizes the affective aspects of moral growth? (3) What supports the development of consistency between mature moral reasoning and moral behavior? It is suggested that the development of mature moral reasoning is facilitated by the imposition of real responsibilities in real social contexts, and by an environment which provides strong situational supports. (GO)