significantly eclectic
Running Head: PERSONAL ETHICS 1
PERSONAL ETHICS 5
Personal Ethics
Shauna Davis
Walden University
6/9/19
Personal Ethics
Personal Ethics Reflection
I believe that my personal ethics may be significantly eclectic. After a review of my personal ethics, I believe that my ethical framework is largely based on the attribute of deontology, although I am not yet in a position to clearly define my beliefs and value systems that are based on ethics. What I am sure of is that the values that I exhibit are significantly defined by my religious experiences. I have a strong belief that humans have the responsibility of keeping rules instead of breaking them. I perceive this life to be composed of numerous duties and rules that are predetermined. My ethical principles are, therefore, part of the general idea of trinity that resides inside my daily life.
I believe that my religion gives me duties that I need to pursue, and when I am unable to fulfill them, my soul experiences numerous consequences that I may not like. I understand that God has provided me with different commands, and the attribute of agent-relativity is non-existent regardless of an individual. To a greater extent, my ethical principle is largely based on the concept of “doing to others as I would wish them to do to me” (Lillemoen & Pedersen, 2015). In accordance with this principle, a number of rules under my subscription are related to the scripture whereby I am required to ensure that I do not judge and condemn others, and seek to ensure that I am forgiving and merciful. My notion of avoiding condemnation and judgment implies that I undertake numerous activities that are not prohibited and condoned. For this reason, I seek to uphold my religious rules and that I do not condemn and judge other based on what they believe in. In general, I do not believe in the presence of ethics without religion, and thus my religion plays a tremendous role in ensuring that my personal ethics always remain on track of differentiating between right and wrong.
Bias(es) in My Worldview
Just like any other person, I believe that I am usually logical and rational, although the fact remains that I experience cognitive biases that may influence my beliefs, distort my thinking, and compromise my judgments and decisions that I make on daily basis. In numerous occasions, these biases are quite conspicuous, and I am unable to realize the predispositions. I usually experience confirmation bias, especially in my attempt to find that different individuals have the tendency of listening more to things that actually confirm some believes inherent in them (Blumenthal-Barby & Krieger, 2015). Based on this attribute, I find myself favoring the information that acts as a confirmation of what I believe in. Another form of cognitive bias that I experience is that I tend to be significantly influenced by the first information that I understand about something, which can be understood as the anchoring bias (Blumenthal-Barby & Krieger, 2015). Based on this attribute, when I go shopping on an item I can bargain, the first price that the seller provides is utilized as an anchoring point, even if the actual price was extremely lower. I also believe that I have the self-serving bias, which occurs when an individual has the tendency of giving credit to themselves when they experience success, and blame other attributes in case of failure (Blumenthal-Barby & Krieger, 2015). For instance, when I excel in exams, I attribute that to my hard work. However, in circumstances when I fail, I may as well blame bad luck or my friend who visited when I was reading for the test.
How Biases Influence Ethical Decision Making
The biases I have discussed above have a significant impact on the attribute of ethical decision-making. However, I have a strong belief that these biases are what makes me human because I subscribe to worldviews that are largely shaped and influenced by my family, friends, education, values, beliefs, experiences, and peers among others. For this reason, understanding individual biases is critical for both professional success and individual wellbeing. Individuals with a high level of self-awareness portray a greater likelihood of exhibiting important competencies in ethical practice and decision-making (Lillemoen & Pedersen, 2015). For this reason, when I understand my personal triggers that have the potential of creating personal biases, I increase my ability of actively managing, mitigating, and avoiding them. This attribute is critical in ensuring that I realize happiness by establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with the people I interact with.
How to Counteract the Biases
My biggest bias involves jumping into conclusions, which is perpetrated by anchoring. This is specifically based on the final judgment regarding the information that is presented first, which significantly influences the process of decision-making. In order to avoid this, I need to take time before making a particular decision, and I should be ready to question for longer times in moments that I may be pressured to make hasty decisions (Schwartz, 2016). In dealing with the confirmation bias, I may need to be patient in gathering objective and comprehensive data that may help me think outside the box and make more informed decisions. I can deal with the self-serving bias by looking at specific situations and the various players involved from a non-judgmental perspective. Instead of laying blame on others when I experience failure, I should utilize cultural intelligence, emotional intelligence, and empathy as a way of understanding the behavior of others as well as accurately reflect on my individual behavior.
References
Blumenthal-Barby, J. S., & Krieger, H. (2015). Cognitive biases and heuristics in medical decision making: a critical review using a systematic search strategy. Medical Decision Making, 35(4), 539-557.
Lillemoen, L., & Pedersen, R. (2015). Ethics reflection groups in community health services: an evaluation study. BMC medical ethics, 16(1), 25.
Schwartz, M. S. (2016). Ethical decision-making theory: An integrated approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(4), 755-776.