Ethical Decision Making

Watch the short video in the following link and answer the questions that follows:

How to Prevent Poor Ethical Decision Making

4.3 Test your Knowledge (Question):

1. Can you think of times when you have used morally disengaged thinking? Discuss

2. Relativism/Idealism Scale (Forsyth, 1980)

The statements below are about your general philosophies.  Please circle the number that indicates how much you agree or disagree with each item, IN GENERAL.

	Strongly Disagree		Neither			Strongly Agree
1) A person should make certain that their actions never intentionally harm another even to a small degree.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2) Risks to another should never be tolerated, irrespective of how small the risk might be.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3) There are no ethical principles that are so important that they should be a part of any code of ethics.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4) What is “ethical” varies from one situation and society to another.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5) The existence of potential harm to others is always wrong, irrespective of the benefits to be gained.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6) Whether a lie is judged to be moral or immoral depends upon the circumstances surrounding the action.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7) Questions of what is ethical for everyone can never be resolved since what is moral or immoral is up to the individual.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8) If an action could harm an innocent other, then it should not be done.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9) Deciding whether or not to perform an act by balancing the positive consequences of the act against the negative consequences of the act is immoral.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10) Rigidly codifying an ethical position that prevents certain types of actions could stand in the way of better human relations and adjustment.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
11) One should never psychologically or physically harm another person.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
12) One should not perform an action which might threaten in any way the dignity and welfare of another individual.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
13) No rule concerning lying can be formulated; whether a lie is permissible or not permissible totally depends on the situation.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
14) Dignity and welfare of people should be the most important concern in any society.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
15) Moral standards should be seen as individualistic; what one person considers to be moral may be judged to be immoral by another person.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
16) Moral actions are those which closely match ideals of the most “perfect” action.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
17) If an action could harm an innocent other, then it should not be done.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
18) Different types of moralities cannot be compared as to “rightness.”	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
19) Moral standards are simply personal rules which indicate how a person should behave, and are not to be applied in making judgments of others.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
20) Ethical considerations in interpersonal relations are so complex that individuals should be allowed to formulate their individual codes.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

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