Chapter 3

Displacement of Responsibility

"Not my responsibility; the boss told me to do it."

What are the three levels of cognitive moral development?

(1) Preconventional (2) Conventional (3) Postconventional or Principled

What are the three steps in the ethical-decision-making process?

(1) ethical awareness, (2) ethical judgment, (3) ethical action.

Describe individual differences that influence one's ethical judgement and ethical action, in response to an ethical dilemma situation.

(1) ethical decision-making style, (2) cognitive moral development, (3) locus of control, (4) machiavellianism, (5) moral disengagement

Euphemistic Language

Using innocuous words to justify or explain offensive issues.

List different moral disengagement mechanisms.

(1) euphemistic language (2) moral justification (3) advantageous comparison (4) displacement of responsibility (5) diffusion of responsibility (6) distorting consequences (7) dehumanizing (8) attribution of blame

What role do emotions play in ethical decision-making?

Emotions can aid us in doing the right thing when they alert us to ethical concerns, cause us to act to help others in need, or keep us from violent reactions.

Idealism

Idealism is the attitude of someone who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standard universal ethical principles. Those who see in an idealistic perspective are concerned for the welfare of others.

What can happen if a person does not recognize the dilemma as having ethical implications and they are not ethically aware?

If a person does not recognize the dilemma as having ethical implications and they are not ethically aware, they will not go through the ethical judgement processes. Thus, could lead them to be put in a situation with serious consequences.

Machiavellianism

Individuals high on machiavellianism are likely to act in self-centered, opportunistic, deceptive, and manipulative ways to win no matter what the cost or how it affects other people.

Diffusion of Responsibility

It is the group's responsibility; "my team decided this, not me."

Locus of Control

Locus of control refers to an individual's perception of how much control he/she exerts over life events. Some people individuals are more internal and others are more external in their locus of control.

Dehumanizing

Make those harmed seem less worthy; "They deserve whatever they get".

Describe the 3rd level of the cognitive moral development theory.

Post-conventional: A level 3 is a principled individual that is developed beyond identification with other's expectations, rules, and laws to make decisions more autonomously.

Describe the 1st level of the cognitive moral development theory.

Pre conventional: A level 1 individual is very self-centered and views ethical rules as imposed from outside the self.

Relativism

Relativism is the concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity within themselves, because their are no universal ethical principles that determine right action in every situation.

Script

Scripts are cognitive human frameworks that guide human thought and action. They make information processing more efficient because you can act automatically.

Attribution of Blame

The victim is blamed for the outcome; "they brought this onto themselves"

Moral Justification

Unethical behavior is okay because it contributes to a valued outcome.

Ethical-Decision Making Style

Your beliefs in which determine how you make ethical decisions; whether you make decisions based on a universal set of ethical principles, or determine how you course of action based on principles that apply to a situation.

Cognitive Moral Development

a developmental stage theory that focuses primarily on how people think about and decide what course of action is ethical right.

Moral Disegagement

the tendency to deactivate your internal control system in order to feel okay about going unethical things.

When are people more likely to be ethically aware?

(1) if they believe that their peers will consider it to be ethically problematic, (2) if ethical language is used to present the situation to the decision maker, (3) if the decision is seen as having the potential to produce serious harm to others, (4) if they're peers agree with their decision, and (5) if one has received training outside training to be informed of ethical decisions,

Name three steps you can take to avoid making unethical decisions.

(1) think about gathering information, (2) think about the consequences, (3) think about integrity.

Who is more likely to have ethical intentions and be critical of unethical behavior a person who is an idealist or a relativist?

A person who is an idealist is more likely to have ethical intentions and be critical of unethical behavior.

External Locus of Control

An individual with a high external locus of control believes that life events are determined primarily by fate, luck, or powerful others.

Internal Locus of Control

An individual with a high internal locus of control believes that outcomes are primarily the result of his or her own efforts. People with an internal locus of control are more likely to see the connection between their own behaviors and outcome and therefore take responsibility for their behavior. Therefore, internals are more likely to do what they think is right.

Distorting Consequences

Assume the consequences are less important than they really are.

Advantageous Comparison

Compare your own behavior to a more reprehensible person.

Describe the 2nd level of the cognitive moral development theory.

Conventional: A level 2 individual is still extremely focused on others but is less self-centered and has internalized the shared moral norms of society or some social group.