For the purposes of this assignment, I recently examined by sense of ethics through the Ethics Awareness Inventory instrument, my findings helping me to realize my own scale of personal ethics. According to my combined scores, my personality tends to be most likely attuned toward Obligation - this means that I am committed, dependable, and respectful of others. I see other people as the reason I work, and their happiness and satisfaction my overall goal - I do not use them to get ahead on my own. People can depend on me, and I feel obligated to meet the responsibilities and expectations beset upon me. I am least likely to be aligned with the Equity attribute of ethical thought; I place the least amount of thought in making sure others are equally treated, or whether or not everyone agrees with the best course of action. I am much more willing to place my trust in absolutes, and I am not very good at mediating. I believe that personal ethics are everything in the field of psychology, and to our personal principles. Behaving with a code of ethics permits us to work to do what is best for our clients and colleagues; to behave without that sense of ethics is to disregard any care we have for others, which is anathema to a service industry like psychology. The role of personal ethics is as a barometer for behavior, to make sure that what we are doing and thinking is in the best interests of those we must serve. Ethics and morality are closely related - one behaves according to a set of principles that dictates how the world and the people in it should work. In the realm of business, for instance, having proper business ethics often means putting other concerns ahead of merely seeking profit - in essence, there are concerns far from the economic that have to be weighed in order to act as an ethically responsible company (Dirks & Ferris, 2002). By behaving ethically, an organization can ideally earn profit while making sure that the ends do not justify the means in terms of behavior and morality. It can often be hard for companies to combine business with ethics. Everything about business states that the overall goal is to earn money and make a profit; with that in mind, that priority is often given precedence (Caldwell et al., 2011). However, with the addition of these ethical concerns (the environment, welfare of employees, etc.), the energy of these companies has to be moved in another direction from time to time (Caldwell et al., 2010). This also applies to personal and social growth - one must be able to put the welfare of others first, especially in psychology, where we exist to serve and help those with psychological problems by learning how to better understand the mind. Ethics can have a dramatic effect on our personal growth - what we do dictates how we grow and develop, and if we do not behave with a sense of personal ethics, we can develop in very negative ways. It can also affect the knowledge we have about psychology - this knowledge can be used for good or ill. If we know how the human mind works, but have no personal ethics to prevent us from using it to our advantage, we could potentially manipulate others to do our bidding for us without regard to how they feel. For example, an unethical husband with knowledge of psychology could find ways to manipulate his wife into doing all the housework, or ignoring an affair, because he has a distinct knowledge of how these things can be done. Personal ethics helps us rein in our abilities, so that we do not use them for personal gain.
Psychology as a degree choice falls in with my personal ethics, particularly my emphasis on Obligation. I feel, as someone who has the opportunity to get a degree and find gainful employment, that I should use that opportunity to help others who may not be as fortunate, or who have other issues that are preventing them from living their lives the way they wish to. With a psychology degree, I believe I am fulfilling my sense of ethics by learning a skill set that can be used to honor the obligation I feel towards others. Psychology, as I mentioned previously, is a service industry, and can be extremely fulfilling for both patient and client - I get the fulfillment of doing what I am obligated to do by my sense of personal ethics, and the client benefits from better peace of mind and psychological stability because of a trained, caring practitioner.
References
Caldwell, C., Hayes, L. A., & Long, D. T. (2010). Leadership, trustworthiness, and ethical scholarship. Journal of Business Ethics 96: 497-512.
Caldwell, C., Truong D. X., Linh, P.T., & Tuan, A. (2011). Strategic human resource management as ethical stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics 98(1): 171-182.
Dirks, K. T., & Ferris, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology 87: 611-628.
