The Growth and Formation of Individual Ethics

Social Norms can be defined as expectations, or rules of behavior, that develop out of values or morals. Someone’s values can be defined as their idea of what is desirable in life. People develop expectations of what is the right way to reflect these values. When norms are violated people are usually shocked and form sanctions from the norm that is being broken, either positively or negatively. For this paper I was required to violate a norm.

In our society, there are many social norms we are expected to abide by. These unwritten rules and standards of behavior often go unnoticed, leaving society to take them for granted. We only become truly aware of the norms of society when they are actually violated. When a violation occurs, those who continue to conform may respond with positive or negative sanctions, such as humor, alarm, irritation, fear, or a wide variety of emotions.

People put personal, organizational, and cultural values into consideration when making decisions and use these values to gauge how ethical these decisions are. People tend to neglect options that do not match with what they believe to be appropriate. A huge challenge comes when values conflict which results into an

Ethics is a comprehension of the way of contentions emerging from good goals and how best we may manage those (Noble, 2007). Morals does not choose what is ethically right or wrong; rather it considers how we ought to act better in the light of our obligations and commitments as moral agents (Noble, 2007). We are all molded by our own encounters, recollections, feelings, and learning influencing our observations, thinking and judgment of individuals and circumstances. These elements contribute to a person’s worldview, professional philosophy, and moral compass- the ability to judge wrong and right and act accordingly. The purpose of this paper is to describe this author’s professional moral compass, which is coordinated by different inspirations, interests, and values.

Explain how the criminal justice system (Cops, Courts, or Corrections) is establishing and maintaining ethical standards to address unethical behaviors. The criminal justice system is comprised of three major institutions which process a case from inception, through trial, to punishment. Though a number of rights derived from the Constitution protect the accused from abuses and overreaching from law enforcement officer. Much like the law enforcement stage of a case, there are dozens of restrictions on the court's ability to prosecute a case, including the right to confront one's accusers, the right against incriminating one's self.

In every society there are a set of norms everyone is expected to follow. These can be as simple as smiling when making eye contact or as complex as the norms involved with eating a formal dinner. No matter how seemingly insignificant norms help to run society; it is what is expected and helps people to find comfort in knowing what will happen. Yet, sometimes these norms are challenged. Not every person will always follow social norms.

The question of ethical behavior is an age-old conundrum. The prevailing issue with ethics is that it is extremely difficult to measure. A person’s moral fabric is largely based on their particular personality traits, as well as, their psychological state and environmental influences. Many believe that ethics are tied to a person’s conscience, and that good morals are often facilitated by a strong religious background. Furthermore, a person’s moral development can be linked to their economic situation and cultural differences. Interestingly, even while examining the status of one’s moral code is challenging; everyone seems to have their own unique array of ethics.

I was influenced the way I determine different actions or behavior in a particular situation since I was a child. Growing up with a Baptist mother and four brothers made me value different things and behave in a particular way. In addition, this made me a have a particular ethical system that influences the way I work and act as an individual. At the corporation level, ethics is important because they set the rules and policy. In this paper, I will explain the developmental aspects of my ethics as well as my ethical system, the effects of my ethics at my workplace, and importance of ethics in an association to achieve its goals.

Abnormal behavior in one society appears normal in the other society (Nairne, 426). Deviance is weighed by the society’s reactions to the particular behavior, also it is measured by the society’s way of life so that it defines the unwelcoming behavior. It ignores the social order and some organizations believe, the reality in society.

Social conventions are unwritten rules in society that are treated as the norm and as such, can be misinterpreted as the right thing to do, making them very hard to oppose. However, in truth, following social norms is not always the correct thing to do. Budge Wilson’s short

We live in a society where we have to follow a certain structure in our lives. If someone were to do something out of the ordinary it is considered to be a norm violation. Although, sometimes there could also be exceptions to those norm violations. Throughout this experience of committing my own norm validation and observing a few validations from people living their normal lives, I gained knowledge of how society reacts to these unusual norms.

Ethical behavior is significant to the development of persuasion, and important to the behavior of humans.It also influences persuasion by developing the progression of persuasion, and increasing those who are accountable for it. A person’s ethical behavior originates with morals and changes into what way an individual is required to connect to encourage effectively and dependably and finishes with who obligation it is to take responsibility in a persuasive interchange. The significance of our ethical behavior is realized within all our origins as human beings and stands as the groundwork of our different societies. We are directed by our ethical customs in the cultures which we create and live. “ The persuader’s determined actions means more under deontological ethics than under teleological ethics”( Magee,2014). According to David B. Resnik, J.D.,( 2011), ethics is defined as standards for behavior that differentiate between tolerable and intolerable conduct. Ethical morals of behavior that specify how an individual should conduct them self centered on ethical responsibilities and qualities.

At a very early age, children learn about social norms to help them become proper citizens in society. Examples of some social norms that students learn are: “do not yell in the library,” “do not speak unless spoken to,” “do not talk to strangers,” and “close the door when you use the restroom.” As you grow older, these rules become unspoken because everyone knows how to act like a proper individual in society. The textbook definition of a social norm is something that is a rule of behavior that society accepts. (Bicchieri) Since everyone knows these unsaid rules of society, what would happen when someone decides not to follow these rules? What would people think and react? In this paper, I discuss my violation of the social norm “don’t talk to strangers” and discuss what I learned from this experiment.

Norms are essentially unspoken rules of conduct given by society. These vary and evolve not only through time but also vary from one age group to another and between social classes and social groups. (Becker) It is important to understand how norms dictate our society because breaking any norms can lead to a negative sanctions Sanctions are punishments or rewards one receive when you either abide by a norm or violate it. (Carl, 54) Different types of norms call for different level of sanctions. There are three different types or levels of norms: folkways, mores, and taboos. Folkways are informal norms when violate have lax consequence. An example is picking your nose in class. While it seen as un-hygienic, the sanction for this violation is less severe. The next level of norm is mores. Mores have a much greater value attached to it. Mores distinguish the difference between right and wrong, while folkways draw a line

Personal values may conflict with ethical decision making if those personal values are different than the organizational norms of the business or institution. Constructing, and maintaining personal ethics in the workplace rests with the individual, and how willing he or she is in assimilating to the evolving cultural dynamic of the corporate world. Many times a person find their personal, cultural and/or organizational ethics conflicting and must reconcile a course of action that will mitigate cognitive dissonance. In order to be a productive member of society, in small groups and globally, one must reconcile these conflicts on a daily basis and continually move forward while maintaining personal integrity and