Understanding Personal Values, Social Norms, and Morality
Understanding Personal Values
We are all constantly making decisions. The question is: why do we choose what we choose? We act as we do because we believe one option is preferable to the alternative, more convenient, more valuable, or simply because it feels good.
For example, if a person decides to attend class because they think it is better than being distracted, or if someone is sincere, it is because it seems that truth is more valuable than a lie. Everyone, consciously or unconsciously, appreciates certain consequences more than others, and when choosing, we are guided by these evaluations.
Values are qualities that things possess in their relationship with humans. They exist only for humans. They are subjective because they are qualities that belong to subjective reality; without human values, they would not exist.
Other Types of Values
- Practical Values: Objects have certain qualities to meet needs.
- Pleasant Values: Qualities that certain realities have to be enjoyed.
- Aesthetic Values: Qualities found in some situations that are capable of producing certain emotions.
Moral Values and Guiding Principles
Moral values are the principles that guide us. They are qualities present in the relationships between people and the environment in which they live, telling us what is most convenient or preferable to others. Only people possess them.
Sometimes, a person’s values come into conflict with each other. When we make a choice, we select what we think is the most valuable option. To know what a person’s moral values are, we must analyze their life and most frequent choices. Sometimes, people claim to have certain moral values, but their behavior is completely different.
The Role of Norms in Society
A norm is a rule or guideline indicating how to perform a specific act. They tell people how they should behave and act.
Types of Norms
- Etiquette: You must give way to older people.
- Traffic Rules: We must move to the right.
- Norms of Social Coexistence: You must arrive on time for a performance.
- Legal Norms: You have to pay taxes.
Moral Norms
Moral norms are those rules of conduct that tell us what we should do. They have these characteristics:
- Self-obligation: They have a requirement to be obeyed. People feel they must fulfill them to maintain self-respect.
- Unconditional: Moral norms are considered valuable in themselves, so you should follow them simply because they give rise to desirable relationships between people.
- Universality: The behaviors they prescribe can be performed by all others.
The Stages of Moral Development
Moral development is divided into two phases: heteronomous (a person who is guided by others) and autonomous (a person who makes their own decisions). It is influenced by the child’s moral and intellectual maturity and the influence of their environment.
Preconventional Level
Moral issues are judged from the perspective of one’s own interests. This is the lowest and least mature level of moral development, typical of young children.
This level is divided into two stages:
- Stage of Punishment and Obedience: One meets the standards in order to avoid punishment.
- Stage of Purpose and Exchange: Human relations are viewed like a trade.
Conventional Level
Moral reasoning is based on the perspective of the social order. Something is considered good when it agrees with the rules and customs of the community in which one lives.
The two stages of this level are:
- Stage of Interpersonal Conformity
- Stage of the Social System: One will try to fulfill social obligations.
Postconventional and Principled Level
A person who reaches this level distinguishes between the rules of their society and a set of universal moral principles. This level is more difficult to achieve; although it can begin in late adolescence, few adults fully reach it.
The two stages of this level are:
- Stage of Prior Rights and Social Contract: What is good is defined in terms of the rights recognized by society.
- Stage of Universal Ethical Principles: What is good is based on a set of principles for all of humanity.