SIGNIFICANCE OF

FEELINGS IN MORAL
BEHAVIOR
GROUP 4
Emotions – that is to say feelings and
intuitions – play a major role in most of the
moral decisions people make. Most people
do not realize how much their emotions
direct their moral choices. But experts think
it is impossible to make any important moral
judgments without emotions.
Moral behaviors are behaviors respecting
morality and acting in accordance with
moral standards. As imperfect human
beings, our behaviors are not always in line
with our moral standards; we easily slip and
trip along the way. In order to enforce and
arouse morality from a young age, we
invented bedtime stories, and
punishments.
 POSITIVE
EMOTIONS
Positive emotions like gratitude
and admiration, which people may
feel when they see another acting
with compassion or kindness, can
prompt people to help others.
 NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
Negative emotions are unpleasant and
disruptive emotional reactions. Examples
of negative emotions include sadness,
fear, anger, or jealousy. These feelings
aren't just unpleasant; they also make it
hard to function in your normal daily life,
and they interfere with your ability to
accomplish goals.
 INNER-DIRECTED
NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
Inner-directed negative emotions like guilt, embarrassment, and
shame often motivate people to act ethically. These emotions
are often associated with self-awareness and reflection, and
they can act as internal signals that guide individuals toward
moral conduct.
OUTER-DIRECTED
NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
On the other hand, outer-directed negative emotions
aim to discipline or punish. For example, people often
direct anger, disgust, or contempt at those who have
acted unethically. This discourages others from
behaving the same way.
KINDS OF EMOTIONS IN
MORAL BEHAVIOR
EMPATHY/SYMPATHY/COMPASSION
Empathy is most often defined as feeling what another
person is feeling (whether happy, sad, or angry, for
instance)

Sympathy is more generally understood as caring for

others.

Compassion is often motivated by empathic/sympathetic

responses to the suffering of others.
ANGER AND DISGUST
Anger is generally a response to a
sense of interpersonal violation.

Disgust is a feeling of aversion

towards something offensive. We
can feel disgusted by something we
perceive with our physical senses
(sight, smell, touch, sound, taste), by
the actions or appearances of
people, and even by ideas.
 GUILT AND SHAME
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When people violate what they

perceive to be a moral rule, they
often respond with a feeling of guilt
or shame. These emotions are often
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referred to as the self-conscious

emotions.
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 Three families of moral emotions

• Condemning emotions
• Suffering emotions
• Praising emotions
 Condemning Emotions

(Other-condemning)
contempt (evaluating something as worthless)
anger (evaluating something as actively dangerous)
disgust (evaluating something as passively dangerous)

(Self-condemning)
guilt (failure to meet personal standards)
shame (failure to meet community standards)
embarrassment (public display of imperfections)
 Suffering Emotions

Other-suffering
compassion
Self-suffering
pain
sadness
fear and anxiety
 Praising Emotions

Other-praising
gratitude
elevation
affection
Self-praising emotions
pride
THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING