Personal Ethics

Personal ethics are the moral foundation on which people build their lives. They assist in
decision making, guiding you to participate in actions that meet your internal moral standards. Ethics
represents the core value system you use for everyday problem solving. They create a framework for
determining “right” versus “wrong”. Ethics are developed throughout life based on a wide variety of
factors. They are not absolute rules. For many people, to define personal ethics is a difficult endeavor.
They simply consider their “inner voice” to be all the ethical guidance they need. After all, intuition plays
a large role in what one finds ethical.

When defining personal ethics, there are several aspects to consider which can vary greatly from
person to person. Broken down, personal ethics impact behaviors which generally fall into the following
framework:

 Value of Others - ethics relates considerably to how one person treats another person in terms
of respect, concern for their wellbeing and recognition of their autonomy. It strongly impacts
the depth and longevity of relationships.
 Value of Society - how one interacts with society as a whole also speaks to their ethical
standards. This includes compliance with the law, conforming to generally accepted social
norms, and contributing to the community.
 Value of Self - how a person presents themselves is an indicator of personal ethics. This refers to
trustworthiness, honesty, reliability, and consistency. In other words, you can see the physical
manifestation of your personal ethics in decisions and behaviors that impact your relationships
with others, your role in society and your personal identity. Though this framework is not
necessarily comprehensive, it provides a basic platform on which to evaluate the role of ethics in
everyday life.

Personal ethics act as the foundation for your moral compass - the integral guide that tells you
what’s right or wrong. They drive your actions and, to a certain extent, your emotions, on a daily basis.
But where do they came from? And why do people who appear similar sometimes have completely
different personal ethics?

You may not realize the ethical principles you’ve built your life on are not established set of rules
handed to you at birth. They grow and develop with you over time and many things influence how
they’re crafted.

 Family influences personal ethics

 Religious beliefs impact personal ethics
 Culture effects ethical norms
 Experience can shift your ethics

Professional Ethics
 If one is attempting to live a just, and therefore ethical, life, then it follows that their actions
should be virtuous in their vocation as well as their personal life. This is the beginning of professional
ethics. Professional ethics were established, and are constantly being developed, as a guiding set of
principles that help dictate what constitutes good behavior of a person in authority.

While these ideals hold for any person in any job, they are more closely watched in positions of
authority as to safeguard others from an abuse of power. Those who abuse their power are, ideally,
stripped of their position when a violation of ethics has proven their authority unjust. Professional
ethics, in short, are the means by which we judge authority's validity.

Professional ethics has become more important over the years. As we become more specialized
in our occupation, the issues become that much more complex – and hard. Professional bodies have
increasingly been at work developing, revising and refining professional codes of ethics. Professionals
themselves ask for more detailed codes so as to have greater guidance. There is no longer deference to
the authority of experts on the part of the public or of the client group. The standards for professional
conduct keep drifting higher. Where safety and health are at issue, the regulators are under more
pressure to act when professional groups do not act. Frankly, it is a sign of maturity, and of professional
pride, when a professional group is operating under a code of ethics.

Professional ethics helps a professional choose what to do when faced with a problem at work
that raises a moral issue. One can certainly study what professionals do when faced with such
problems, and confine the enquiry to the description.
Personal vs. Professional Ethics

Personal Ethics Professional Ethics

 Differ by individuals  Same throughout the organization
 Religion, sin, virtue  Law, crime, punishment
 Learned from parents, teachers, clergy,  Learned from management, team, leaders,
role models co-workers
 Unwritten code of conduct  Written code of conduct
 Personal choice  Professional commitment

Example/Situations

Ethics is a word that can be used loosely, so it’s important to understand the meaning of this
question by first discussing what is meant by personal ethics or professional ethics.

I assume the questioner is using the term personal ethics to mean one’s conscience and the
term professional ethics to mean adherence to a professional code. Sometimes those two roles can
conflict. For instance, we have cases of doctors who have refused to prescribe the morning after pill,
because they believe it will terminate a human life. In this case the doctor has decided that his personal
ethics will guide him or her. Alternatively, a police officer may enforce a law that they personally believe
is unjust. In this case the police officer has decided to put aside personal concerns and allow
professional obligations to guide his or her behavior. Likewise a judge may follow the law and impose
the death penalty even though he or she may be personally opposed to it.

Typically people have resolved this by drawing a line between their role as a professional and
their role as an individual. They often decide to follow a professional code of ethics when they are
acting as a professional even though they may personally disagree. However, if your professional
obligations put you in such a state of conflict that you feel you can’t uphold your personal ethics, then
you have the option of resigning.

This dilemma is not limited to professional vs personal. All of us are confronted with the reality
of rules or laws that we personally believe are unjust or immoral. We have to determine how to resolve
this tension. Being a pragmatic ethicist, I do not believe that we should always take a principled and
extreme stance for every issue. For instance, I am against the death penalty, but I don’t feel like moving
out of New York State just because this state allows the death penalty. At the same time, I believe that
we must take a principled stance at certain times even if it requires us to pay a high cost. Martin Luther
King, Jr., is a good example of someone who was willing to go to jail in order to fight unjust laws that
eventually were overturned in part because of his ethical leadership.

At first glance, we might think that personal (which is to say private, or pertaining to one’s life
outside of work) and professional (which is to say public, or pertaining to one’s work life) are two
separate categories, but I would suggest that this distinction is false. Rather, they are two aspects of the
same realm: namely, part of being human and functioning in the world. Thus, personal ethics is
probably more general, and is simply “practicing becoming an excellent human being” with respect to
people and situations in everyday life (our family, our friends, our community). Professional ethics is
probably more specific, and is “practicing becoming an excellent human being” with respect people and
situations in work life (co-workers, customers, suppliers, the company).

The basic underlying ethical values and commitments remain the same, but how they are
enacted may differ. For example, honesty is a virtue which is vital in both personal and professional
settings. However, the amount and type of information which I disclose to my spouse is much different
than the amount and type of information which I disclose to my boss, my customer, or my competitor.
Further, the way in which I do so differs. For example, accurate financial disclosure is a type of honesty.
Financial disclosure within my household might mean that budgeting software is up to date and used
regularly, but financial disclosure within my company might mean I need to comply with accounting
principles and laws. I can use whatever accounting system I like in my household, as long as the bills get
paid. I cannot, however, make up my own accounting system for use in a company, because there are
specific traditions and laws to be followed in order to demonstrate that I am truly being honest.