The Difference Between Morals and Ethics

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Morality?What Are Ethics?Ethics, Morals, and Mental HealthAre Ethics and Morals Relative?Discovering Your Own Ethics and MoralsFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Morality?

What Are Ethics?

Ethics, Morals, and Mental Health

Are Ethics and Morals Relative?

Discovering Your Own Ethics and Morals

Frequently Asked Questions

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Are ethics vs. morals really just the same thing? It’s not uncommon to hear morality and ethics referenced in the same sentence. That said, they are two different things. While they definitely have a lot of commonalities (not to mention very similar definitions!), there are some distinct differences.

Below, we’ll outline the difference between morals and ethics, why it matters, and how these two words play into daily life.

Morality is a person or society’s idea of what is right or wrong, especially in regard to a person’s behavior.

Maintaining this type of behavior allows people to live successfully in groups and society. That said, they require a personal adherence to the commitment of the greater good.

Moralshave changed over time and based on location. For example, different countries can have different standards of morality. That said, researchers have determined that seven morals seem to transcend across the globe and across time:

Many of these seven morals require deferring short-term interests for the sake of the larger group. People who act purely out of self-interest can often be regarded as immoral or selfish.

What Is Objective Morality?

Many scholars and researchers don’t differentiate between morals and ethics, and that’s because they’re very similar. Many definitions even explain ethics as a set of moral principles.

In general, morals are considered guidelines that affect individuals, and ethics are considered guideposts for entire larger groups or communities. Ethics are also more culturally based than morals.

It’s also common to hear the word ethics inmedical communitiesor as the guidepost for other professions that impact larger groups.

For example, the Hippocratic Oath in medicine is an example of a largely accepted ethical practice.The American Medical Association even outlinesnine distinct principles that are specified in medical settings. These include putting the patient’s care above all else and promoting good health within communities.

Since morality and ethics can impact individuals and differ from community to community, research has aimed to integrate ethical principles into the practice of psychiatry.

That said, many people grow up adhering to a certain moral or ethical code within their families or communities. When your morals change over time, you might feel a sense of guilt and shame.

However, even if younger person understands that it’s not wrong to live with their partner before marriage they might still feel guilty for doing so, especially if they were taught that doing so was immoral.

When dealing with guilt or shame, it’s important to assess these feelings with a therapist or someone else that you trust.

Ethics are relative to different communities and cultures. For example, the ethical guidelines for the medical community don’t really have an impact on the people outside of that community. That said, these ethics are still important as they promote caring for the community as a whole.

This is important for young adults trying to figure out what values they want to carry into their own lives and future families. This can also determine how well young people create and stick toboundaries in their personal relationships.

Part of determining your individual moral code will involve overcoming feelings of guilt because it may differ from your upbringing. This doesn’t mean that you’re disrespecting your family, but rather that you’re evolving.

Working with a therapist can help you better understand the moral code you want to adhere to and how it ties in aspects of your past and present understanding of the world.

A Word From Verywell

Understanding the difference between ethics vs. morals isn’t always cut and dry. And it’s OK if your moral and ethical codes don’t directly align with the things you learned as a child. Part of growing up and finding autonomy in life involves learning to think for yourself. You determine what you will and will not allow in your life, and what boundaries are acceptable for you in your relationships.

That said, don’t feel bad if your ideas of right and wrong change over time. This is a good thing that shows that you are willing to learn and understand those with differing ideas and opinions.

Working with a therapist could prove to be beneficial as you sort out what you do and find to be acceptable parts of your own personal moral code.

Examples of morals can include things such as not lying, being generous, being patient, and being loyal. Examples of ethics can include the ideals of honesty, integrity, respect, and loyalty.

Because morals involve a personal code of conduct, it is possible for people to be moral but not ethical. A person can follow their personal moral code without adhering to a more community-based sense of ethical standards. In some cases, a persons individual morals may be at odds with society’s ethics.

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dictionary.com.Morality.Curry OS, Mullins DA, Whitehouse H.Is it good to cooperate? Testing the theory of morality-as-cooperation in 60 societies. Current Anthropology. 2019;60(1):47-69. doi:10.1086/701478Dictionary.com.Ethics.Crowden A.Ethically Sensitive Mental Health Care: Is there a Need for a Unique Ethics for Psychiatry?Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;37(2):143-149.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dictionary.com.Morality.Curry OS, Mullins DA, Whitehouse H.Is it good to cooperate? Testing the theory of morality-as-cooperation in 60 societies. Current Anthropology. 2019;60(1):47-69. doi:10.1086/701478Dictionary.com.Ethics.Crowden A.Ethically Sensitive Mental Health Care: Is there a Need for a Unique Ethics for Psychiatry?Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;37(2):143-149.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Dictionary.com.Morality.Curry OS, Mullins DA, Whitehouse H.Is it good to cooperate? Testing the theory of morality-as-cooperation in 60 societies. Current Anthropology. 2019;60(1):47-69. doi:10.1086/701478Dictionary.com.Ethics.Crowden A.Ethically Sensitive Mental Health Care: Is there a Need for a Unique Ethics for Psychiatry?Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;37(2):143-149.

Dictionary.com.Morality.

Curry OS, Mullins DA, Whitehouse H.Is it good to cooperate? Testing the theory of morality-as-cooperation in 60 societies. Current Anthropology. 2019;60(1):47-69. doi:10.1086/701478

Dictionary.com.Ethics.

Crowden A.Ethically Sensitive Mental Health Care: Is there a Need for a Unique Ethics for Psychiatry?Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;37(2):143-149.

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