The Ethical Dilemma: Do you keep the secrets of your organization even if it is NOT ethical behavior? (E.g. The Delta Gamma email that was leaked, the Alpha Gamma Delta alumni at The University of Alabama, etc. )
Response: Whether or not we would keep the secrets of our organization would be based upon the type of secrets we are supposed to be keeping. If the secret is harmful to members or to the general public in any way then we would have to tell the secret. We would ultimately want to be a part of a group that choses to do no harm or a non-maleficent group.
The Dilemma Model(s):
- Truth vs. Loyalty-if the secret is harmful, cruel, or a-moral, then the truth would have to over-come loyalty. If the secret was not doing any harm to an individual, society or object, then loyalty would be more important than truth. However, in this situation, if the behavior is not ethical then TRUTH is more important than loyalty.
- Justice vs. Mercy-If the secret is not ethical, then it would be a priority for justice to be served.
- Long Term vs. Short Term-when the unethical secret has been revealed and put out into the public then it would be a painful experience for the entire group, not just the individual in the short term. However, in the long term, the group itself will be able to redeem themselves and build anew, creating healthy, inclusive and ethical secrets that build prestige and honor within the group.
The Thinking: The thinking in this scenario would be most effective in a group setting, that way people could make sure that all three forms of thinking are being employed to determine whether or not a secret should be revealed to the public. Rule-based thinking is going to be important to understand the repercussions that will result from the secrets and the reveal of the secret. Care-based thinking is important to look to those who have been, and will be affected if the secret is revealed or if it is kept a secret. The End-based thinking will be crucial for when the group is looking ahead to see how the reveal of the secret will affect their group once the secret is revealed. Will the group be seen in a poor light? Will the group be able to regain their honor after time and retribution has been accomplished? These are the types of questions that End-based thinking will be able to answer.
The Decision: If the secret is an ethical, healthy, and inclusive secret, then yes, it is ethical to keep the secret. If the secret is harmful, cruel, and unethical, then it is NOT ethical to keep the organizations secret.
Emma, I absolutely agree with you on all of your points. I think we are very similar in the way that we not only think, as well as in how we look at the world. This situation is difficult in that each secret can unfold an individual scenario. Each secret needs to be judged on an individualized basis, so we are definitely on the same page. Although it could be a difficult option to leak an organization's secret, those effected by it will be better off in the long run. You and I both know from our experiences with Beacon Hills that keeping a secret for the right reasons (and vice versa) is the best solution. Look at this real life application!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I started reading I couldn't help but remember the thinking vs feeling aspect of Myers-Briggs. I feel like ethical dilemmas really bring these two close together because you have to decide if you should do something, why you should do something and who it will hurt, and is it worth it. I really like the way worked through the whole model, it really does give you an educated decision.
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