PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
LESSON 2
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORALS AND ETHICS
Morals and Ethics ensure discipline among us; without these codes of
conduct standards or rules that guide our behavior, our world will be
chaotic. But how do morals and ethics differ?
Morals- are our own set of rules, so others are neither expected nor
required to follow them.
Ethics- are rules accepted and approved by society, so they are
imposed upon everyone.
ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION
Deirdre D. Johnston (1994) pointed out ten ethics in
communication that you should bear in mind to avoid being
labeled “unethical” (as cited in Chase and Shamo, 2013, pp.
140-141)
1. MUTUALITY
Pay attention to the needs of others, as well as yours.
2. INDIVIDUAL DIGNITY
Do not cause another person embarrassment or a loss of
dignity.
3. ACCURACY
Ensure that others have accurate information. Tell them
everything they have a right and need to know, not just what
is true.
4. ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Never bolster the impact of your communication by
preventing people from communicating with one another or
by hindering access to the supporting information.
5. ACCOUNTABILITY
Be responsible and accountable for the consequences of your
relationships and communication.
6. AUDIENCE
As audience or receiver of information, you also have ethical responsibilities. A
good rule of thumb is the “200 % rule” where both the sender and the receiver
have full or 100 % responsibility to ensure that the message is understood, and
that ethics are followed. This is a 100/100 rule, not a 50/50 rule.
7. RELATIVE TRUTH
As either sender or receiver of information, remember that your own point of
view may not be shared by others and that your conclusions are relative to
your perspective, so allow others to respectfully disagree or see it differently.
8. Ends vs. Means
Be sure that the end goal of your communication and the means of getting to
that end are both ethical although no rule can be applied without reservation
to any situation.
9. USE OF POWER
In situations where you have more power than others (ex. A teacher with a
student, boss with a subordinate, a parent with a child), you also have more
responsibility for the outcome.
10. RIGHTS VS. RESPONSIBILITIES
Balance your rights against your responsibilities even if you live in a
wonderful society where your rights are protected by law; not everything you
have a right to do is ethical.
ACTIVITY: Illustration No. 1
Morals: Good (ethical) or bad (unethical)?
1. Since many classmates of John don’t see anything wrong with cheating on tests,
he cheats, too.
2. A boy who did not know how to swim died because he saved his friend from
drowning.
3. Mary reported to the librarian that Luz tore some pages of a library book even if
Luz was her friend.
4. To feed his hungry baby sister, Larry stole a can of milk from a store.
5. Upon knowing that the cashier gave her too much change, Juliet left the store in a
hurry.
Activity Questions:
1. The behaviors in the illustration 1 adhere to some
people’s morals standards. Which of them are ethical?
Which are unethical? Why do you say so?
2. How can you make the unethical behaviors ethical?
Suggest alternative behaviors for them.
Illustration No. 2
1. A manager and an employee become friendly, and the employee asks the manager
to report her part of the project as finished even though she still has several days
left to go.
2. An employee on probation offers to take on extra work if the manager adjusts his
number of sales.
3. Business people make jokes or remarks that may be offensive to some, and they
don’t give each person the right to voice his opinion.
4. A concern about employee safety is raised at a business meeting, but the issue is
not immediately assessed. When the concern is validated, employees are not
immediately informed, and they are not removed from the dangerous area to
address the situation.
ASSIGNMENT
Direction: Which of Johnston’s ten ethics or standards of
right or wrong behaviors are violated in Nos. 1-4 of
illustration No. 2? Explain your answer for each number.