CRT LEARNING MODULE

Course Code GE 106

Course Title Ethics

Units 3

Module Title Culture in Moral Behavior

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
Issued by:
Module 3: Culture in ---
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 College for Research & Technology of Cabanatuan

HOW TO USE THIS DIGITIZED LEARNING MODULE

Welcome to the module in GE 106 – Ethics. This module contains training materials
and activities for you to complete this module. This module also covers how culture helps
in shaping our morality.

You are required to go through a series of learning activities in order to complete

each learning outcome of the module. Each of the learning outcomes is provided with
Modules. Follow these activities on your own and answer the self-check at the end of
each learning outcome. You may remove a blank answer sheet at the end of each module
(or get the answer sheets from the online facilitator) to write the answers for each self-
check. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask your facilitator for assistance.

This will be the source of information for you to acquire knowledge and skill in this
particular trade independently and at your own pace, with minimum supervision of help
from your instructor.

 Talk to your online facilitator and agree on how you will both organize the Training
of this unit. Read each through the module carefully. It is divided into sections,
which cover all the skills and knowledge you need to successfully complete this
module.
 Work through all the information and complete the activities in each section. Read
Modules and complete self-check. Suggested references are included to
supplement the materials provided in this module.
 Most probably your facilitator will be your supervisor or manager. Your online
facilitator will support and correct you.
 Your online facilitator will tell you about the important things you need consider
when you are completing activities and it is important that you listen and take
notes.
 You will be given plenty of opportunity to ask questions and practice on the job.
Make sure you practice new skills during regular work shifts. This way you will
improve both your speed and memory and also your confidence.
 Talk to more experienced workmates and ask for their guidance.
 Kindly answer the self-check questions at the LMS (EDMODO) to test your own
progress.
 When you are ready, ask your online facilitator to watch you online via Zoom or
Google Meet to perform the activities outlined in this module.
 Ask your online facilitator work through the activities: ask for written feedback on
your progress. Your online facilitator keeps feedback/pre-assessment reports for
this reason. When you have successfully completed each element, ask the
facilitator to mark on the reports that you are ready for assessment.

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
Issued by:
Module 3: Culture in ---
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 When you have completed this module, and feel confident that you have sufficient
practice, your online facilitator will arrange an appointment with registered
assessor’s to assess you. The results of your assessment will be recorded in your
competency Achievement Record.

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
Issued by:
Module 3: Culture in ---
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Moral Behaviour Developed by:
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CRT Research Group
 CULTURE IN MORAL BEHAVIOR

Culture undeniably does play a significant pseudo role within shaping moral
behavior and extends even further to social norms. Arguably, rather than defining our
moral behavior per se, it influences and changes our definitions of what ought to be
deemed morally acceptable by consistent exposure to it.

How does culture shape moral behavior?

Culture undeniably does play a significant pseudo role within shaping moral
behavior and extends even further to social norms. Arguably, rather than defining our
moral behavior per se, it influences and changes our definitions of what ought to be
deemed morally acceptable by consistent exposure to it.
The main determining question is whether moral behavior/actions are independent
in comparison with the case in question. Saying yes would be implicitly stating we have
inherent morality/moral norms that are in not necessarily attributable to exposure to
external factors - e.g. culture.
Culture, itself, is an individualistic, man-made concept of collective identity that is
open to complete subjectivity. The fact so many ‘cultures’ exist is evidence of this - solely
due to the differentiation of societal norms from place to place.
The subjectivity argument for culture can be stretched further and applied to
morality. Where culture does form the basis of some of our morality is in the fact that,
whilst we might share certain moral views, what is deemed morally acceptable/repugnant
differs from person to person.
Essentially, the cultural bias by which we form our moral opinions is shaped by
social acceptance within our own individual societies. Whilst there are some obvious
exceptions, this rationale can be applied to most moral concepts, where there is a distinct
difference between the way in which they are viewed in one culture vs another.

CULTURAL RELATIVISM
Cultural relativism is the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should
be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the
criteria of another.
Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is
right or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try to understand cultural practices
of other groups in its own cultural context.
Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to
the individual within his own social context. In other words, “right” and “wrong” are
culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in
another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge
another society’s customs.
Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology. Cultural relativists
believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. Diversity of
cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of
right and wrong or good and bad. Today’s anthropologist considers all cultures to be
equally legitimate expressions of human existence, to be studied from a purely neutral
perspective.
Cultural relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as
variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the
individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
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GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
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Module 3: Culture in ---
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which applies to all cultures. No one can say if someone else is right or wrong; it is a
matter of personal opinion, and no society can pass judgment on another society.
Cultural relativism sees nothing inherently wrong (and nothing inherently good)
with any cultural expression. So, the ancient Mayan practices of self-mutilation and
human sacrifice are neither good nor bad; they are simply cultural distinctives, akin to
the American custom of shooting fireworks on the Fourth of July. Human sacrifice and
fireworks—both are simply different products of separate socialization.

STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Childhood is often divided into five approximate stages of moral development:

Stage 1 = infancy—the child's only sense of right and wrong is what feels good or bad;
Stage 2 = toddler years—the child learns "right" and "wrong" from what she or he is
told by others;
Stage 3 = preschool years—the child begins to internalize family values as his or her
own, and begins to perceive the consequences of his or her behavior;
Stage 4 = ages 7-10 years—the child begins to question the infallibility of parents,
teachers, and other adults, and develops a strong sense of "should" and "should not"
Stage 5 = preteen and teenage years—peers, rather than adults, become of ultimate
importance to the child, who begins to try on different values systems to see which fits
best; teens also become more aware of and concerned with the larger society, and begin
to reason more abstractly about "right" and "wrong."

Moral development involves the formation of a system of values on which to base

decisions concerning "right" and "wrong, " or "good" and "bad." Values are underlying
assumptions about standards that govern moral decisions.
Although morality has been a topic of discussion since the beginning of human
civilization, the scientific study of moral development did not begin in earnest until the
late 1950s. Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987), an American psychologist building upon
Jean Piaget's work in cognitive reasoning, posited six stages of moral development in his
1958 doctoral thesis. Since that time, morality and moral development have become
acceptable subjects of scientific research. Prior to Kohlberg's work, the prevailing
positivist view claimed that science should be" value-free"—that morality had no place in
scientific studies. By choosing to study moral development scientifically, Kohlberg broke
through the positivist boundary and established morality as a legitimate subject of
scientific research.
There are several approaches to the study of moral development, which are
categorized in a variety of ways. Briefly, the social learning theory approach claims that
humans develop morality by learning the rules of acceptable behavior from their external
environment (an essentially behaviorist approach). Psychoanalytic theory proposes
instead that morality develops through humans' conflict between their instinctual drives
and the demands of society. Cognitive development theories view morality as an
outgrowth of cognition, or reasoning, whereas personality theories are holistic in their
approach, taking into account all the factors that contribute to human development.
The differences between these approaches rest on two questions: 1) where do
humans begin on their moral journey; and 2) where do we end up? In other words, how
moral are infants at birth? And how is "moral maturity" defined? What is the ideal morality
to which we aspire? The contrasting philosophies at the heart of the answers to these
questions determine the essential perspective of each moral development theory. Those

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
Issued by:
Module 3: Culture in ---
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CRT Research Group
who believe infants are born with no moral sense tend towards social learning or
behaviorist theories (as all morality must therefore be learned from the external
environment). Others who believe humans are innately aggressive and completely self-
oriented are more likely to accept psychoanalytic theories (where morality is the learned
management of socially destructive internal drives). Those who believe it is our reasoning
abilities that separate us from the rest of creation will find cognitive development theories
the most attractive, while those who view humans as holistic beings who are born with a
full range of potentialities will most likely be drawn to personality theories.
What constitutes "mature morality" is a subject of great controversy. Each society
develops its own set of norms and standards for acceptable behavior, leading many to
say that morality is entirely culturally conditioned. Does this mean there are no universal
truths, no cross-cultural standards for human behavior? The debate over this question
fuels the critiques of many moral development theories. Kohlberg's six stages of moral
development, for example, have been criticized for elevating Western, urban, intellectual
(upper class) understandings of morality, while discrediting rural, tribal, working class, or
Eastern moral understandings. (See Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning.) Feminists
have pointed out potential sexist elements in moral development theories devised by
male researchers using male subjects only (such as Kohlberg's early work). Because
women's experience in the world is different from men's (in every culture), it would stand
to reason that women's moral development might differ from men's, perhaps in significant
ways.
Definitions of what is or is not moral are currently in a state of upheaval within
individual societies as well as, at least, in the Western world. Controversies rage over the
morality of warfare (especially nuclear), ecological conservation, genetic research and
manipulation, alternative fertility and childbearing methods, abortion, sexuality,
pornography, drug use, euthanasia, racism, sexism, and human rights issues, among
others. Determining the limits of moral behavior becomes increasingly difficult as human
capabilities, choices, and responsibilities proliferate with advances in technology and
scientific knowledge. For example, prenatal testing techniques that determine birth
defects in utero force parents to make new moral choices about whether to birth a child.
Other examples of recently created moral questions abound in modern-day society.
Therefore, the study of moral development is lively today. The rise in crime, drug
and alcohol abuse, gang violence, teen parenthood, and suicide in recent years in
Western society has also caused a rise in concern over morality and moral development.
Parents and teachers want to know how to raise moral children, and they turn to moral
development theorists to find the answers. Freudian personality theories became more
widely known to the Western public in the 1960s and were understood to imply that
repression of a child's natural drives would lead to neuroses. Many parents and teachers
were therefore afraid to discipline their children, and permissiveness became the rule.
Cognitive development theories did little to change things, as they focus on reasoning
and disregard behavior. (After a great deal of criticism in this regard, Kohlberg and other
cognitive development theorists did begin to include moral actions in their discussions
and education programs, but their emphasis is still on reasoning alone.) Behaviorist
theories, with their complete denial of free will in moral decision-making, are unattractive
to many and require such precise, dedicated, behavior modification techniques to succeed
that few people are able to apply them in real-life situations.

CONSCIENCE
Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations
based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
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Module 3: Culture in ---
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to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sensory
perceptions and reflexive responses, as in sympathetic CNS responses. In common terms,
conscience is often described as leading to feelings of remorse when a person commits
an act that conflicts with their moral values. An individual's moral values and their
dissonance with familial, social, cultural and historical interpretations of moral philosophy
are considered in the examination of cultural relativity in both the practice and study of
psychology. The extent to which conscience informs moral judgment before an action
and whether such moral judgments are or should be based on reason has occasioned
debate through much of modern history between theories of modern western philosophy
in juxtaposition to the theories of romanticism and other reactionary movements after
the end of the Middle Ages.
Religious views of conscience usually see it as linked to a morality inherent in all
humans, to a beneficent universe and/or to divinity. The diverse ritualistic, mythical,
doctrinal, legal, institutional and material features of religion may not necessarily cohere
with experiential, emotive, spiritual or contemplative considerations about the origin and
operation of conscience. Common secular or scientific views regard the capacity for
conscience as probably genetically determined, with its subject probably learned or
imprinted as part of a culture.
Commonly used metaphors for conscience include the "voice within", the "inner
light", or even Socrates' reliance on what the Greeks called his "daimōnic sign", an
averting (ἀποτρεπτικός apotreptikos) inner voice heard only when he was about to make
a mistake. Conscience, as is detailed in sections below, is a concept in national and
international law, is increasingly conceived of as applying to the world as a whole, has
motivated numerous notable acts for the public good and been the subject of many
prominent examples of literature, music and film.

MAKING GOOD CHOICES

Our conscience is the inner voice that helps us to know the law God has placed in
our hearts. Our conscience helps us to judge the moral qualities of our own actions. It
guides us to do good and avoid evil.
The Holy Spirit can help us to form a good conscience. We form our conscience by
studying the teachings of the Church and following the guidance of our parents and
pastoral leaders.
God has given every human being freedom of choice. This does not mean that we
have the right to do whatever we please. We can live in true freedom if we cooperate
with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the virtue of prudence. This virtue helps us to recognize
what is good in every situation and to make correct choices. The Holy Spirit gives us the
gifts of wisdom and understanding to help us make the right choices in life in relationship
to God and others. The gift of counsel helps us to reflect on making correct choices in
life.
Making moral choices involves the following steps:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit for help.
2. Think about God’s law and the teachings of the Church.
3. Think about what will happen as a result of your choice. Ask yourself, will the
consequences be pleasing to God? Will my choice hurt someone else?
4. Seek advice from someone you respect and remember that Jesus is with you.
5. Ask yourself how your choice will affect your relationships with God and others.

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
Issued by:
Module 3: Culture in ---
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CRT Research Group
 Making moral choices takes into consideration the object of the choice, our
intention in making the choice, and the circumstances in which the choice is made. It is
never right to make an evil choice in the hope of gaining something good.

Date Developed:
Document No. 001-2020
February 10, 2022
GE 106 - Ethics Date Revised:
Issued by:
Module 3: Culture in ---
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Moral Behaviour Developed by:
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