The Difference Between Personal Ethics And Social Ethics

Generally, ethics is defined as the rule for carrying out certain behaviors by distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable behavior (Resnik, 2015). In other words, ethics assists in determining whether a decision is right or wrong when given a choice. As a matter of course, decision-making is first predisposed by personal ethic that is constructed on personal experience and conscience (Fritzsche & Oz, 2007)
. It tends to be affected by family and friends (Ferrell & Gresham, 1985). Not only does personal ethics guide human behavior but also social ethics (Shaw, 2002). As social animals, collective knowledge possessed by the community influence the moral values one adheres to, for example, culture, religious beliefs and the law. Therefore, an action is ethical when it satisfies the standards of personal ethics and social ethics.
The process of ethical decision-making involves information acquisition,

Information is first received to identify all possible response to a dilemma. An individual recognizes and examines whether the choices are unethical or not and then evaluate the possible benefits to be gained and the possible costs to be paid. Ethical dilemma arises when there is conflict between personal ethics and social ethics. For instance, ethical dilemma exists in situations that a wrong decision is likely to produce a positive outcome or that a right decision is likely to produce a negative outcome (Fletcher, n.d.). Ethical decision-making can only be justified in the notion that the individual is ethically sensitive and rational because a person is unable to acknowledge the responsibility of certain behaviors without awareness of morality and