Ethics: The mind of a child

Henry had just arrived home from a long day of work. She is reading the newspaper in his favorite chair waiting for dinner to be served. The phone rings. Henry crying children and his wife: "If you tell him for me that is not at home." Julie, her older, answers the phone. He said he did not lie and now he is telling lies. She is confused, but he does as he says, and tells the caller is and then take a message. He did not feel good to lie, but she was obedient. There appear to be the consequences to lying.

Sue keeps his parents discuss hide their assets from the government so you do not pay taxes. His father is a businessman, very successful and earn an excellent income. They have everything money can buy, and have the respect from the community. They all illusions of success and want more. If you do not declare all their income, can have even more. They argue that stealing, but his father prevails. A few days later, Sue steals a candy bar from the store. She worries about being caught, but nothing happens. There is something to this. His choices do not result in negative consequences and you get to enjoy the candy.

Bob's parents drink every evening. They like to have a good time. People are more all the time and consume a lot of alcohol. There are laughter and more laughter. They appear happy. Bob comes home one night and he is drunk. He was having a good time with her friends. The parents are angry with him. He does not get it. He shouts, "You drink what's wrong?"

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ethics as "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation." Using this definition, have these parents behave ethically right? Take a minute and think. I'm sure you all come up with different answers. In these examples seemingly insignificant, these parents have demonstrated, by their actions, more than any of their words. They demonstrated that the ethical choices did not result in negative consequences, and if you can get away with it, do it. What, then, in today's society, is the motivation for making ethical choices?

Children are born pure and moral. There is no conscious mind at the time of birth, no conscience and no choices to make. They cry when they are hungry, and they laugh when they are happy. This is a moment where they are completely dependent on their parents and learn to develop trust that their needs will be met by their parents. This trust is essential for maturation through life and will eventually be part of your choices in life. The children turn into little autonomy and where they learn the word no. They are learning how to control their bodies to walk and toilet training and influencing the behavior of parents. Yet, the conscious mind has yet to develop.

Around four in the child learns how to participate in the initiative and cooperative play with peers. Parents no longer be the only ones in their world. I'm generalizing a behavior with the parents to their peers. During the school-age children learn to be industrious. The discipline of doing homework on the scene. The conscious mind begins the development and the ability to distinguish between good and evil evolves.

The fifth stage of development is where we learn identity. This is where they are once again separated from their parents and looking for new roles in behavior. These are teens that are tested and retested every boundary. These are the years that a child does not accept the values ​​of the parents based on their unique word. They are developing their own set of ethics. Each phase is based on the completion of the previous phase. (Eight Stages of Development developed by psychiatrist, Erik Erikson - http://www.childhooddevelopment.com). It is important to note that five of the eight stages occur during the first 18 years of a child's life. This leads us to believe that childhood and adolescence are critical times of development.

The lessons of ethical behavior are in part determined to move successfully through the stages of development and have sufficient autonomy to define ethical choices. What they learn at home is primary and fundamental positive choices for their ethical development. If the parent's behavior is consistent between actions and words, the child probably will have the same consistency, or at least experience of dissonance between his actions and words.

What happens when there is a lack of congruence between the behavior of parents and their words very similar to what has happened before (this is not to do as I do, but do as I say mentality)? As kids learn good and evil? How do you make ethical choices, living under an umbrella of ethical illusions? Unless that ethics is taught in school or have an adult mentor, who may never have the opportunity to ethical development. They could not understand that the ethical choices equal positive results and the ethical choices equal to negative consequences.

At school, children are constantly under pressure to perform in a way that is expected of adults. Often succumb to lies and fraud to ensure success as a model in some cases by their parents. Without ethical development, which will probably grow into adults and focus on success at any cost. They create the illusion of success.

Recognizing the need for ethics training, Chuck Gallagher, an international keynote speaker, has created the Choices Foundation (a non-profit organizations). Through this organization Chuck Gallagher travels to high schools and universities teaching ethics from his personal experiences. Ethics programs make a difference .......