Reported are four studies of the development of moral autonomy among 720 individuals ranging in age from 12 to 21 years. A questionnaire and a focused interview technique were used to find indications of autonomy in moral judgments and the justifications for these judgments. Tasks elicited moral decisions in the areas of child rearing, schools, work, and political and economic management. The aim of the research program was to extend the analysis of the development of moral autonomy offered by a multidimensional model of the development of moral reasoning. Specific objectives were to examine: (1) developmental change and stability in the content of attitudes about autonomous decision-making; (2) types of justifications offered for choices; and (3) relations between justification types and the content of judgments. Findings revealed the need to add the dimension of individual differences to the single dimension used to describe autonomy-related developmental changes in the content of judgments. Another dimension that indexed individual differences in the use of justification types was identified. It was found that justifications for moral judgments were more theoretical than those obtained in a Kohlberg-style interview. Content-related categorization of justifications revealed a substantial connection between justification and judgment content. (RH)