Personal Ethics Reflection Paper

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My personal definition of ethics is a set of beliefs that govern the right or correct way one responds in a given situation. It is based on upbringing, religious reference, New Thought theory, personal integrity, a sense of right and wrong, and a feeling of “doing the right thing.” It is an ongoing process. Ethics, is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. According to Johnson and Riley (2008), “the ethical life requires an integrated sense of self in relationship to others. It is a fundamental consistency between moral convictions and behavior across time and situations” (p. 3). Morals, as a virtue, and as described by Aristotle are distinguished …show more content…

My fairness rule started early in my life. Being the eldest of five, and very young myself, I was often left “in charge” when my parents were away from the house - either grocery shopping, or taking care of chores for a few hours. When things went wrong, I invariably did not have an opportunity to fully explain the situation. I use the fairness rule whenever I am in a position of authority in my career, since not all positions required a level of fairness be exhibited. Later on, when I had my own children I began using the rule – no favoritism, both of my children are treated equally. My childhood experiences taught me many lessons. One of which was not to hold a grudge when unfairly treated – holding a grudge does not solve the problem. You can get angry and upset, but that too passes. I learned early not to make the same mistake twice and to learn from mistakes, whether they were my own or someone else’s. Michael Josephson (2010) reported that fairness is “concerned with actions, processes, and consequences that are morally right, honorable, and equitable.” I concerned myself with attaining both ‘ends of the story’ and sorting out the ‘stuff’ in the middle. That ‘stuff’ turns out to be processing the information and determining the correct response or consequence – who knew I was acting ethically. To me I was being ‘fair’. Fairness, is linked to the broader social fabric of justice and equity, explained by Josephson (2010), “fairness and fair play are less lofty terms than justice or equity yet, on the level on which most of us operate, the desire to be treated fairly and the duty to be fair and play fair are far more

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