Ethical Types
There are seven ways in which people have incorporated ethical principles into their actual decision
making. These approaches represent seven ethical typologies or preferences to personal decision
making during an ethical or moral crisis. I refer to these as ethical types. Do you know your personal
ethical preferences? Do you know your ethical type?
The seven preferences or ethical types are Egoism, Utilitarianism, Existentialism, Divine
Command, Deontology, Conformism, and Eclectic.
Below, you'll find the summarized explanations of each Ethical Type. More in depth looks at each type
are found in my book "Ethical Virtuosity."
Egoism - Egoism's central and fundamental principle is that when you are confronted by an ethical
dilemma, the right thing to do is to choose or undertake the action that is in your best self-interest.
Utilitarianism - Utilitarianism is associated with the historical writings of Jeremy Bentham and John
Stuart Mill. Its central and fundamental principle is that one should, when resolving ethical dilemmas,
choose the path that is in the collective best interests of the greatest number of people.
Existentialism - Existentialism was made popular by the writings of Soren Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul
Sartre, and Albert Camus. Existentialism's central principle is that when confronted with an ethical
dilemma, you should look within yourself for the right moral path to follow, and that you should make
a conscious choice to follow your deeper, inner sense of what is right and wrong.
Divine Command - Divine Command or Divine Inspiration (as it is sometimes referred to), is an
ethical preference evident in the belief that when confronted by an ethical dilemma, you should follow
the word of God, as reflected in scripture, religious doctrines, or spiritual teachings.
Deontology - Deontology's central and fundamental principle is that ethical dilemmas are best
resolved by following certain prescribed duties or obligations that exist or are imposed by virtue of a
person's existence as a human being.
Conformism - Conformism's central and fundamental principle is that when confronted with an
ethical dilemma, a person ought to look to family, friends, colleagues, or a relevant social peer group
and undertake an action or resolve the dilemma in a manner consistent with the perceived values and
expectations of the group.
The Eclectic Type - The Eclectic ethical preference is one that blends and relies on two or more of
the previously described ethical types. It results from the competing influences of the various ethical
preferences you might experience.