When you have honest ethical and moral principles you are said to have?

Integrity is an often misunderstood value and that’s the reason it is reasonable to ask whether it is always a moral value. The dictionary defines it as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” That’s fine but there’s more to it than that.

Integrity can also be thought of as being true to your values and acting in accordance with them. Our integrity is an integral part of who we are and what we stand for.  It means to stand up for what you believe – what you believe is the right thing to do. It means to have the courage of your convictions. Now we’re getting closer.

Integrity relates to one’s choice of action and consistency in application. When you are consistent in actions, there is only one you. You act with consistent principles wherever you are so people know what to expect. A person of integrity can be trusted, but trusted to do what?

In an insightful blog on the true meaning of integrity, So-Young Kang states that a person of integrity intentionally reflects on what to say, how to behave, how to make decisions in a way that is reflective of his/her values and beliefs. A person of integrity recognizes the consequences of one’s actions on others. All this is true but it also crystallizes the problem with integrity. It’s nice to be thoughtful, make deliberate decisions, think of others and so on. But, what if all this leads you to take an action that harms others because the consequences for others, which you recognize, are not those that would be considered morally inappropriate by you?

Some say the word moral must appear before integrity to understand it as a true moral value and a good way to be. But, moral integrity can be good or bad based on whose integrity it is. What’s moral for one person may not be moral for another. For example, one person may believe that assisted-suicide is a moral decision to alleviate the pain and suffering of a cancer patient or one with a disabling disease. Another person might say it is immoral because killing is always bad. In other words, morality can be relative to the individual at a particular time and place.

When we act it is important to understand our motives for acting. Our motives should be based on the innate moral conviction to do what we think is right regardless of the consequences attached to us by our actions. But, the key is to act in accordance with moral principles of right and wrong. Otherwise, one’s actions might demonstrate integrity but the convictions are those we might consider of a person with a bad character. For example, Adolf Hitler blamed Jews for Germany’s economic and social problems. He was convinced they were evil people. Consequently, he enacted the “Final Solution,’ a plan to exterminate the Jews. He acted in accordance with his convictions but surely it was immoral.  

Integrity is often treated as a means in order to serve a purpose. False moral integrity is always bad because it imitates good morality for a bad purpose.

Blog posted by Steven Mintz, aka Ethics Sage, on July 18, 2018. Visit Dr. Mintz's website and sign up for his newsletter.

Have you ever wondered why you make the decisions that you do? If you’ve experienced that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when you do something you know you’ll regret, it’s likely because of your moral principles. Most people have a set of morals—in fact, a sense of morality is one aspect of human behavior that sets us apart from other species—but they can vary greatly from one person to another. It may be helpful to explore your own moral principles, as they can determine many aspects of your life.

Do You Need Help Making Decisions That Align With Your Morals?

How Morals Impact Your Life

One definition of morals is, “the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group”. As a general rule, we use morals to guide our actions. They help us make decisions based on what we feel is the “right” thing to do in a given situation. Without them, we would have no rhyme or reason for why we make the choices we do—or we’d only ever make choices that take our own needs into consideration. Our decisions would be impulsive, and we might not consider the consequences.

Having a clear set of morals can affect your behavior in many ways. You might be less easily influenced to act in ways that are contrary to your morals. You might be able to voice your opinions more readily, stand up for what you believe is right, and distance yourself from things that don’t match up with the person you want to be.

To put it another way, moral principles allow people to judge their own behaviors so that they can make changes as needed in order to feel that they’re doing the right thing—whatever that means to them.

Furthermore, research over the years has demonstrated how central a set of morals is to who we are. One study found that “moral character” is the most important element of “impression formation” when we’re getting to know someone new. Another study involved five experiments which led researchers to declare that moral traits “are considered the most essential part of identity, the self, and the soul,” more than any other mental faculty. In other words, our morals are a fundamental part of who we are and how we interact with others.

Examples Of Moral Principles

You can think of moral principles as a set of guidelines that help us decide how to handle different situations that may come up in life. Here are a few examples of principles a person might hold:

• Treat others the way you want to be treated. This principle means taking the time to empathize with others and trying to see things through their eyes. It involves thinking about the situation someone else is in and considering what you’d want someone to do for you if the roles were reversed. 

• Speak the truth. Honesty may help us speak up for what we want and give others the information they need to make decisions for themselves. A moral principle like this means that you strive to avoid lying, whether to yourself or others.

• Don’t spend what you don’t have. Moral principles can even apply to how you handle your finances. These could include donating regularly to good causes, avoiding loaning money to friends so as to not complicate relationships, or not spending what you don’t have. This last one might entail living within a budget and doing your best to stay out of debt.

• Keep your word. Following through with what you say you’re going to do is another example of a moral principle. This might include honesty, but also not making promises that you can’t keep. 

The above are some common examples, but moral principles are personal—something you decide for yourself. If you’re setting out to choose what yours might be, the examples listed here can at least give you a starting point. Think about how you want to approach or handle relationships, conflict, finances, etc., or the type of person you want to be when faced with hard situations in any of these realms. That exercise can guide you toward the moral principles that feel right for you.

How To Hold Yourself Accountable To Your Morals

Sticking to the moral code you’ve set for yourself can help you live a life that’s authentic to you. Remember, however, that no human being is perfect. We’re all bound to fall short of our morals from time to time, but having them in place reminds us of what to strive for next time. To help yourself stick to your morals, consider some of the following tactics.

Set Written Goals

shows that you’re 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down, so you can harness this fact to help you stick to your morals. Keeping a journal of what your goals are and how you’re progressing toward them can help you hold yourself accountable. For instance, you might want to perform one random act of kindness per week to practice empathy, be honest about personal boundaries when dating someone new, or save a certain amount from every paycheck. You can write each of these moral goals down and make notes regularly on how you’re coming along.

Listen To Your Instincts

Another method is to stay in touch with your gut instincts. When you’re about to do something that, deep down, you feel is wrong according to your principles, think twice. Our gut instincts may be trying to tell us that something about the situation we’re in doesn’t fit our personal moral code.

Speak With A Therapist

Finally, you may find it useful to speak with a therapist. While they’re not there to decide your moral code for you, they can help you get in touch with your true self and your beliefs so that you can draw conclusions about what your morals might be. They can help you examine the moral principles that parents or caregivers passed down to you so you can decide whether you want to keep them as part of your own code. They can also help you deal with any perfectionism you may have in regards to morality, and learn to forgive yourself. Whatever challenges you may be facing, a trained therapist can offer a nonjudgmental, unbiased space for you to explore and work through them.

Today, there are a variety of different ways in which you can connect with a mental health professional. Some find virtual therapy to be the best option for them. A 2020 study suggests that it can be just as effective as traditional face-to-face counseling, making it a “viable alternative.” Researchers also found that online therapy had other added benefits too, including “lower cost, no travel time, no waitlists, and trackable progress”. An online therapy platform like BetterHelp can connect you with a licensed therapist who you can meet with via phone or video call and check in with via chat. Remember: The best therapy method for you is the one that’s accessible and that you feel the most comfortable with.

Do You Need Help Making Decisions That Align With Your Morals?

Read on for reviews of BetterHelp counselors who have helped people in similar situations.

“I’ve been working with Alicia for about 7 months now, and I can’t recommend her enough. She is unbelievably smart and yet filled with warmth, she’s non-judgmental but still able to see negative patterns, she gives solid frameworks and solutions when I need them, and is a listening ear when I need that. Alicia doesn’t just deal with the subject matter at hand, she remembers things I’ve told her weeks prior, small names or details or passing comments, and points out patterns I hadn’t noticed, helping me re-frame my own thoughts and behaviors, all while showing how much she’s really listening and paying attention. It makes me feel like I’m talking to a friend. One personal example of her intuitive spirit is what she said to me in my very first session with her which has stuck with me since that day. I told how “broken” I felt after my last couple roles in rather toxic work environments. And after telling why I had left those companies, mostly dealing with bosses/ colleagues who were bullies, dishonest and manipulative people who did a lot of damage, Alicia pointed out that I am not, in fact, broken, as the reason I left those companies was always the same – my deep rooted values of kindness and honesty would not allow me to be in that environment any longer, that my sense of self from a moral perspective had remained the same when many people bend their morals to succeed in stressful work situations. This reframing of the narrative I had been telling myself from the moment I quit changed everything for me, and she had known me for 45 minutes. For anyone on the fence about therapy and its benefits, Alicia is the empathetic soul we all need in our lives.”

“Oliver has helped me in many ways despite our relatively short time working together. He’s helped me gain a better outlook on the world, and he has helped me install some new philosophies and principles that I’ve found to be very useful in my day to day life and coping with everyday stress, as well as helping me and guiding me through some tough personal decisions, and working on myself and my behaviour.”

Takeaway

Moral principles can look different for everyone. Deciding on what yours will be can give you direction in life and help you make decisions. The tips on this list may help you in the process.