Preview

Beliefs, Morals, and Values

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2225 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Beliefs, Morals, and Values
Beliefs, Morals, and Values Application Paper
[Melisa’s Introduction]
For as long as man has been around the question as to whether man is inherently good or evil has been debated. We look at the events that are happening in the world today and find ourselves asking that same question. As we study humanity, we discover that there are certain factors that lead to human development; biology, psychology and sociology.
Some think that man is born evil and either continues to be evil or learns to become good. Much of this stems from the thought of ‘original sin’ which states that everyone is born a sinner because Adam, the first man had sinned. Others think that man was born neither good nor evil; a blank slate called ‘Tabula Rasa’, and thus is influenced by the family and environment around them. Yet, still, there are those who believe that man is inherently good and learns to do evil.
Although there are some people that do things that society considers evil, man is inherently good. Look at a two year old child throwing a temper tantrum, which most of the world considers bad. Was that child born ‘evil’ or was the child born ‘good’ and the tantrum became a learned trait?
[Olivia’s Defintion]
A belief is something that we as individuals hold to be true. There are different types of beliefs, such as spiritual and cultural. These types of beliefs can arise from tradition or experience. People usually develop expectations of life events through their beliefs, and attach personal meanings and values to them.
A moral is a message or a lesson that we have learned – whether through our own experiences or that of another. Morals mold our decision-making process as we gain more and more from our experiences.
A value is a measure by which we base our integrity. As individuals our values are our judgments on what is important in life. There are different types of values, such as ethical, moral, social, cultural and aesthetic values.
Beliefs, Morals and



References: Bandura, A. (1978). The Self System in Reciprocal Determinism. American Psychologist, 33, 344-358 . Bandura, A. & Walters, R.H. (1963). Social Learning and Personality Development. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Blackburn, R., & Renwick, S. (1996). Rating scales for measuring the interpersonal circle in Forensic psychiatric patients. Psychological Assessment, 8(1), 76-84. Dawkins, R. (1989). The Selfish Gene (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford Universal Press. Edens, J. (2009). Interpersonal characteristics of male criminal offenders: Personality, psychopathological, and behavioral correlates. Psychological Assessment, 21(1), 89- 98. Glanz, K., Rimer, B.K. & Lewis, F.M. (2002). Health Behavior and Health Education. Theory, Research and Practice. San Francisco: Wiley & Sons. Goetz, J., Keltner, D., & Simon-Thomas, E. (2010). Compassion: An evolutionary analysis and empirical review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(3), 351-374. Van Lange, P. (2008). Does empathy trigger only altruistic motivation? How about selflessness or justice? Emotion, 8(6), 766-774. Waters, M. (1994). Modern Sociological Theory. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Since the creation of the world, humans have been falling into darkness and evil, as displayed in stories like Adam and Eve. All humans-beings have the potential to become evil, which usually comes from self-centered wants. When people go down the path of doing whatever it takes to get what they want, they end up hurting others along the way. Evil tempts everyone on a daily basis, but it is the choice whether to reject temptation or give in that exemplifies who someone is. When humans repel evil, the good shows through and their actions have a positive impact. Surrendering to evil is the easy way out, but will lead to darkness and destruction, and make it almost impossible to find a way back to the light.…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many philosophers, such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, have discussed over the years if he human race is naturally good or evil. People than choice their side of the argument, one side believing that humans have a basically good nature that is corrupted by society, while the other side believes that humans have a bad nature that is kept in check by society. As John Locke believes that the human race is good, it is reasonable to accept as true because we are born neutral, with free will, and fear of a higher power.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe that people are born neither inherently good nor evil, but are created as blank slates to be constructed by childhood impressions and other life experiences. In my opinion, the concepts of good and bad are impossible to be natural instinct. Rather, these ideas are mainly formed by the guidance and direction from one’s parents, and also by observation of the environment, and how others handle specific interactions.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, in the case of nature vs. nurture, nurture is what makes humans do evil things. From boys living alone, trying to survive on an island, to grown men thrown into a psychological experiment, their environment is what causes their sadistic/evil behavior. Although it is true that people make the wrong decisions in life, it does not mean that they were born with a desire to do…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    You cannot say that man is inherently evil because when a human being is just born all it could do is cry, and excrete the wastes in its body. The human cannot do anything when it is just born a human learns everything except for instinctive actions which it cannot learn. The human is not born evil if you look at it that way. But when the baby gets older than three the baby might start wanting to do evil actions; the baby may have an attraction…

    • 1382 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The difference in the way humans perceive things is part of the complexity of mankind. What is thought of as evil to one person can be seen as good to another, and vice versa. The issue of good and evil is brought up in William Golding's Lord of the Flies, when innocent boys are set on an island to bear the weight of society on their backs. What happens to them? How do past influences effect them? Are their actions good or evil? The actions of the boys were not a matter of being good or evil, but were actions for survival. A man's environment does not influence him towards good or evil, nor is he born with it inside. Man has instincts and inner drives that are not matters of good and evil, but of survival.…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Is Man Inherently Good

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Is man inherently good or evil? To answer that question we will examine humanity’s past and present acts. We will discuss the causation of man through their natural acts, through wars, conflicts and common acts of violence. We will show that humanity is neither inherently evil nor good. However, we often settle our personal disagreements through common violent acts. Wars are fought because we want to establish our dominance or have some kind of agenda. Briefly mentioned are some common theories suggesting the reasoning behind such wicked behaviors. Also discussed is the examination of each team member’s personal values, which is an idea, accepted by individuals or a group; beliefs are any cognitive content held as true; morals are principles of right and wrong or, conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles. These are based in cultural and social constructs which vary from culture to culture. Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century philosopher viewed human beings as naturally egoistic creatures who seek their own welfare, even if this leads to aggression against others. Hobbes argued that people join into society to gain security from others. A century later Jean-Jacques Rousseau disputed Hobbes’ theory, and in 1762 Rousseau wrote humans are natural compassionate loners. But, unlike animals, human behavior is not determined by instinct; human behavior is acquiescent; it changes in the societies within which humans live. Rousseau argues that the violent traits that Hobbes attributes to human nature are actually caused by the type of society in which people live and not essential human nature (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2007).…

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Man is naturally evil. There are many different ways to prove this theory; some include philosopher’s perspectives and literature. People have been debating back and forth weather or not man is evil or good. This report is about to prove that man is in fact evil.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In humanity's constant search for understanding, one of the core issues concerns our very nature. Knowledge of our true nature would provide an insight into many of the questions that go unanswered in our world. Whether deep down inside we are good or evil decides what situation we are in, and has implications about what we can do about it. Two famous figures in Christian history have taken opposing views on this subject. Augustine believed that humans have been corrupted at the core ever since the fall of man back in Genesis, while Pelagius believed that humans have complete freedom to choose good or evil, and human depravity is only a direct result of choosing evil.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe all people are born generally good, but are corrupted by society later on in life. When we are born we have no idea of what our lives will become. As we grow, we encounter people that affect us in good and bad ways. We then have to take it upon ourselves to decide what is right and how we handle situations based on our previous experiences. Hence these experiences make our lives and tendencies good or bad. For example, many studies have found that those who grow up in a “broken home” or dysfunctional family are more likely to develop habits of lying, being irresponsible, and hyper-sensitive of peoples opinions about them. This is a direct effect of experiences they encountered growing up, whether it be trying to avoid harsh consequences by lying, trying to please someone who never shows support (causing hyper-sensitivity), or not having an influential adult who teaches them how to complete tasks properly (becoming irresponsible). I believe everyone I have come in contact with has been good in the end, meaning everyone has some sense of good deep inside of them. Whether that is apparent to the everyday person is decided by the unique path they've had through life.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Have you ever wondered why your parents teach you manners? Or why they punish your for hitting your sister or biting your brother? Humans must be taught to be good because we are born inherently evil. The definition of evil is being somewhat wicked and immoral. The definition of good is being morally right and having integrity. Now, some people may say that this is a horrible thing to say, but if you think about it, how do all these bad things happen if people aren’t truly bad? Why do we have crime, rape, domestic violence, war, and murder? Not all people do these things and most people believe these are wrong, but there are people who still do it anyway. Humans can be good, if they try; however, humans are born inherently evil.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are two conflicting views on human nature. Chinese scholar Hsun Tzu believed that man’s nature is evil and when man acts “good” it is only the result of what he called “conscious activity.” In the text, he describes conscious activity as “the part [of man] that can be acquired by learning and brought to completion by effort.” In other words, Hsun Tzu believed that man is naturally selfish, and that unless there are rules and principles put in place to guide men away from his natural inclinations, society would disintegrate into chaos and violence. Mencius, another Chinese scholar and fellow student of Confucius, believed the opposite. He thought that human nature is ultimately good and that people learn to be evil from various influences and experiences in their life.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The True Nature of Man

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Man is inarguably the simplest yet most complex creation whose concrete nature is still unknown. Once upon a time, individuals hit a snafu in regards to whether the true nature of mankind is intrinsically good or evil. At one end of the spectrum, the advocators of congenital human righteousness assert that as man is the creation of God, he must be pure and just by nature. Alternately, those who regard humankind as essentially foul hold the beliefs that man was created to sin and corrupt. However, how can one possibly presume that the estimated seven billion people on this planet are either entirely good or bad? It is impossible, and the fact of the matter is that humans are simply human.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you are posed with the question if human beings are inherently good or bad, you often find yourself floundered to find an answer. It is a fundamental question with no definite answer, only your conception of situations and human beings. People often look for the bad in the world, they point out the negative things instead of the positive because that’s what people want to hear about. The positive things are overlooked, which concludes with people believing that humans are inherently bad. Unfortunately, they do not recognize the many positive actions of others. Humans, when born, naturally crave love and affection. They are born without greed or desire. Mankind is inherently good, as demonstrated in the novel Night written by Elie Wiesel…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Human nature is not exactly perfect to say the least, so it cannot be exclusively good or evil. A reason for this is because certain situations may bring out the good or bad in people. For example, you may be having a great day, spreading positivity and goodness out to the world and then all of a sudden someone does something such as cutting you off while you are driving. This specific situation may bring out the evil in you and you could possibly chase the driver down,…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays