What Are Moral Values?
Moral values refer to a set of principles that guide an individual on how to evaluate right versus wrong. People generally apply moral values to justify decisions, intentions and actions, and it also defines the personal character of a person. An individual with high moral values typically displays characteristics of integrity, courage, respect, fairness, honesty and compassion
The basic foundation of an individual’s character is developed during a child’s early years and partly shaped by the values and beliefs of parents. Educators and peer interactions also plays an important role in moral values formation. Wikipedia reports that development continues until adulthood.
Society, in general, confuses the meaning of ethics with moral values, states Navran Associates. Ethics refer to a set of standards of behavior expected by a group of people to which an individual is a member, while moral values stresses on a person’s moral code.
Common ethics at times are in conflict with moral values, especially in workplaces. A good example is a company’s demand on overtime, in which an employee may feel that moral obligations to his family are sacrificed to fulfill his work obligations.
Ironically, people can lose their jobs because of low moral values. Tardiness, theft and poor working habits can be attributed to personal character.
