Personal Ethics Statement
Each of us believes in what we do as a result of the influence that the environment we have been in. For instance, we believe it will be dark at night because it has always been dark at night. Fiedler and Bless (2000) express that beliefs are a function of cognition and emotion and are as a result of influences that exist in the environment or repetitive mental interpretation of situations (cognition). For instance, a child who is assaulted for trivial things believes that they will soon be assaulted. Beliefs are also as a result of appeal to emotions. When one is constantly pushed towards one belief, they tend to believe that that statement is true. This can be seen in religious beliefs.
When faced with an ethical dilemma, we choose to respond in a particular way out of various factors. One influence will be the beliefs we have about such a situation. An individual will gauge the situation with a belief of what is right and what is wrong and do the needful. If one believes that the only way out of a legal problem is to corrupting the legal system, then, they will make attempts to corrupt. The other factor is the expectations we have. An individual who is positive about a situation, is likely to respond in a positive way, while those who are negative, will further complicate their situation.
When confronted with an ethical dilemma, I will use two approaches. First, I will consider what is right and what is wrong. Second, I will consider the possible outcomes in all outcomes and weigh them. I will tend to go with what I believe to be right since I will exonerate my conscious and will be in a position to live with the decision I made.
My personal ethics statement of ‘do good and right’ is supported by the secular theory of Humanist Ethics. On this concept, the commonality of human nature is endorsed and extended to cover right and wrong as expressed by Thiele (2014). Decisions are judged on the basis of enhancing the well being of humans. My biblical theory is that which has to do with the virtues of prudence and justice. Actions are judged in accordance to their effect and how fair they are to other concerned parties as expressed by Gardner (2009).
My sense of right and wrong was developed through my personal experience with the social world. The sense of doing what is right and wrong is about thinking, feeling, and acting. Moral principles show what is right, fair, or ethical in the behavior of people. Moral guidelines help people to be empathetic towards others. Moral rules help people living together in the same society to treat each other with respect because the way a person treats another determines how they interact or relate. The sense of right and wrong helps to maintain social regulation and enables individuals to reciprocate to the treatment they are given by others (Ellemers, Van der Toorn, Paunov & Van Leeuwen 2019). The social implications of what is right and wrong differ according to beliefs, attitudes, and judgment. Moral convictions are viewed as instructions that tell an individual what they ought to or not to do. This comes with significant social implications because people expect others to follow these instructions. When these instructions are not followed, the people with expectations get emotionally affected and lack tolerance which can resort to violence against those people that don’t support their views.
Knowledge of moral behavior has made me understand how to deal with crises and issues. The sense of knowing what is good and what is bad and how I should handle the two has made me know how to respond to different issues. Moral behavior is one aspect that helps to maintain the social order. Moral reasoning has helped me know how to connect judgments about how I should react to issues and crises. According to Ellemers et al. (2019), moral reasoning can illuminate and shape moral instincts. Self- awareness has made me become more self-conscious and have moral self-views viewing and reacting to issues differently and putting more thoughts into it. This is because I understand more of my personality, my emotions, and also know what triggers me into a particular act and also understand what I should engage in and what I should avoid. Emotional experiences and behavioral realities are significant in understanding the way people contemplate on principles and moral character.
Moral guidelines enable me to think through issues because they help me make judgments on the action I should take. Morality involves rules, values, and standards that help to shape or distinguish between right or wrong. When thinking through issues, I always incorporate the morality elements so I can make the right decision. Ethical thinking raises the standards of thinking through issues Avci (2017). It enables one to think with a positive purpose summing the values and not the challenges. I have learned how to control my moral emotions so that I can think through issues with a clear mind. Emotions help in handling issues because by them people can consider if another person is worthy to be treated morally. Moral emotions help me make moral judgments and moral decisions through issues (Ellemers et al. 2019). Moral decisions are a result of real situations that are characterized by people’s encounters and the moral emotions they give rise to. When thinking through an issue, it is important to know that human morality consists of thoughts, principles, judgment, reasoning, behavior, and emotion and it is important to think through all these aspects to make the right decision.
References
Avci E. (2017). A normative analysis to determine the goals of ethics education through utilizing
three approaches: rational moral education, ethical acculturation, and learning throughout
life. International Journal of Ethics Education 2, 125–145
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40889-017-0032-4
Ellemers, N., Van der Toorn, J., Paunov, Y., & van Leeuwen, T. (2019). The Psychology of
Morality: A Review and Analysis of Empirical Studies Published From 1940 Through
- Personality and Social Psychology Review, 23(4), 332–366.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868318811759
Fiedler, K., & Bless, H. (2000). The formation of beliefs at the interface of affective and cognitive processes. In N. H. Frijda, A. S. R. Manstead, & S. Bem (Eds.), Studies in emotion and social interaction. Emotions and belief: How feelings influence thoughts (p. 144–170). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511659904.006
Gardner, E. C. (2009). Justice and Christian ethics (Vol. 7). Cambridge University Press.
Thiele, K. (2014). Ethos of diffraction: New paradigms for a (post) humanist ethics. Parallax, 20(3), 202-216.
