How Your Moral Principles Can Impact Your Life
Have you ever wondered why you make the decisions that you do? Moral principles, which are the core beliefs and values that determine our sense of right and wrong, play a crucial role in shaping our choices and actions. 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, or your individual sense of right and wrong.
Most people have a set of morals, with many having their morals at least partially tied to their culture, religion, or another external source (referred to as ethical principles). A sense of morality is one aspect of human behavior that sets us apart from other species, but it can vary greatly from one person to another. It may be helpful to explore your own moral principles, as they can influence various aspects of your life.
How moral principles 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 individual 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 little 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 likely be impulsive and with little consideration for the consequences.
Our moral values often guide how we approach decision-making, address ethical dilemmas like conflict of interest, and implement professional standards like informed consent in patient care.
Making the effort to have a clear set of moral values can affect your behavior in many ways. You might be less easily influenced to act in ways that are contrary to your values, no matter the circumstances. You might be able to voice your opinions more readily, stand up for justice, and distance yourself from things that don’t match up with your own moral reasoning.
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—though some people might not have the same “rights” that you do, they’ll choose the best course of action depending on their individual values.
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 our nature and how we interact with others. You can take a morality test for fun to get a glimpse of your morals.
Examples of moral principles
You can think of moral principles as a set of guidelines that help us decide how to handle ethical issues and other situations that may arise in life. Here are a few generally accepted examples of principles a person might hold:
- Treat others the way you want to be treated and show them respect. This principle means taking the time to empathize with others and trying to see things through their eyes. While autonomy may be important, you can’t always do exactly what you want. This principle 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. Doing so can help strengthen equality in our country, a vital characteristic of a healthy society.
- 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 principle of virtue 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. While it may be tough, you can also benefit from having a thrifty lifestyle.
- Keep your word. Your word should have meaning, and 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. Sticking to your word can prevent harm, both to your reputation and to your relationships.
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, fairness, 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 be accountable: Moral principles
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 further your moral development, consider some of the following tactics.
Set written goals
Research 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 focus on accountability. 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. An individual’s identity can determine when they listen to their “gut”. When you’re about to do something that, deep down, you feel is wrong in the context of 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, which may be outdated or based on a problematic part of history. These conversations can help you 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 regard 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 with whom you can meet via phone or video call and check in via chat. Remember: The best therapy method for you is the one that’s available and that you feel the most comfortable with.
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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.
What are moral principles?
Moral principles typically refer to a set of norms that govern the actions of individuals and groups toward each other. Although moral principles may vary between people and groups, no matter how morality is defined, the principles always guide behavior toward what the person or group believes to be moral. Some people believe that some moral principles, such as respect for human life, are universal and absolute. However, there are often exceptions that allow moral principles to be bent or broken, such as suspending respect for human life during times of war.
What is a moral principle in simple terms?
A moral principle is typically a rule that guides a person’s actions toward what they define as good behavior. People often take these rules more seriously than other values they may hold, giving extra weight to guidelines that help direct their treatment towards others. Some moral principles are widespread and held by many, such as refusing to harm others through violence. However, principles can often shift based on the context in which they are applied. Because of this, many people debate whether universal morals - values that apply equally in all situations - exist within modern society.
What are the seven moral standards?
The “seven moral standards” likely refers to moral codes found in nearly every society. A study published in Current Anthropology by Oxford University’s Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology identified seven core moral values that were nearly universal across the world. The research team analyzed ethnographic ethics accounts from 60 societies, evaluating over 600,000 words from more than 600 sources. Philosophers and scholars have long debated whether some morals are universal among human cultures. The Oxford study provided evidence suggesting that some morals may be universal, at least when broadly applied.
The seven moral standards identified by the study include:
- Help and support your family
- Help and support your culture
- Return favors
- Be brave
- Defer to superiors
- Divide resources fairly
- Respect others’ property
What are ten moral values?
Moral values can vary considerably based on a person’s location or culture. While some moral codes are nearly universal, the factors guiding moral behavior often shift based on the nuance and complexity of the given situation. Despite this, many cultures, groups, and individuals prioritize common moral values, which may include:
- Honest communication
- Loyalty to others
- Respecting others’ opinions
- Taking care of loved ones
- Showing kindness in daily interactions
- Responding courageously to danger
- Resisting temptation
- Demonstrating gratitude
- Cooperating with others during shared tasks
- Remaining accountable for mistakes or errors
What are core values?
Core values typically refer to deeply ingrained principles that guide people or organizations toward a desired action or response to the actions of others. They can be comprised of any rules or guidelines, although many people align their core values with common interpretations of moral theory. Still, values that many may consider amoral, such as the ruthless pursuit of profit at the expense of others, can be core values to some.
Generally, whether a value is considered a core value is determined by how deeply internalized it is. Weaker values might be ignored in certain contexts, while core values are unlikely to be deviated from. Core values can also differ depending on how they are applied. For example, a person may consider bullying to be amoral behavior but may adopt a different stance when the bullying occurs over social media.
What are the five points of morality?
The five points of morality likely refer to the five basic moral foundations described by moral foundations theory. Moral foundations theory is a social psychological theory developed to explain the origins of human morality based on innate traits. The foundations are described in terms that define the origins and variations in human moral reasoning. For example, one foundation, Care/Harm, describes caring for others as an innate moral trait and harming others as a variation from that moral norm.
The other foundations include:
- Fairness/Cheating
- Loyalty/Betrayal
- Authority/Subversion
- Sanctity/Degradation
Revision of the moral foundations theory in later years led its developers to create a new foundation: Liberty/Oppression.
What are the eight sources of morality?
Humanity continues to evaluate the sources of morality, a debate that has continued for nearly the entirety of society’s relatively short history. There is not currently a consensus regarding how many sources of morality exist, whether those sources are universal across cultures, or whether moral values are consistent across different situations. The underlying moral theory often points to a probable source of moral behavior, but varying theories often lead to varying moral sources. For example, moral subjectivism suggests that a person’s source of morality is guided simply by what they consider right or wrong. In contrast, cultural relativism suggests that cultural norms primarily determine morality. Other theories, such as divine command theory, suggest that moral values originate outside of humanity, often emanating from a higher power.
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