Ethics Awareness Inventory

Ethics Awareness Inventory (EAI) is a way of measuring different people's ethical approaches. It measures ethics in four different dimensions: character, obligation, results, and equity. The combined score for character was 8, the combined score for obligation was 4, the combined score for results was -4, and the combined score for equity was -8. My ethical profile was most closely aligned with character, and least closely aligned with equity. My obligation and results scores were opposites, which was interesting because those two traits are thought be diametrically opposed.

The character perspective is aligned with virtue theory, and looks at what is good to be, rather than what is good to do. In other words, actions are not as critical as character. This means that the character perspective is not overly focused on actions. In fact, character looks more broadly at ethics than a simple determination of right and wrong and involves more complicated assessment. This is because the character/virtue perspective suggests that mere adherence to moral rules, no matter how well-intentioned, cannot be considered moral unless it is accompanied by some type of striving to be good. Therefore, the fact that I was identified as aligned with the character perspective suggests that I am more focused on character than on action; I consider intent to be more important than results. I have to agree with this assessment of my perspective.

The obligation perspective is very similar to deontological theory, which focuses on duty or obligation. It looks at what an individual is obligated to do, has a duty to do, and what is morally right. Moral laws are different than man-made laws, because recognize the value of all human beings, and also recognize all people as autonomous. My score in this area was a four, which does not surprise me, because if I think that intent is important, then it is not surprising that I look at moral duty or imperative. My results score was -4. The results perspective looks at the consequences of actions. Many people refer to this as utilitarianism. The results perspective almost allows one to quantify the good or evil of a particular action. According to the results perspective, ethics involve more than duty. This means that the O. perspective and the R. perspective are difficult to reconcile, which explains why my scores on these two measures are opposites.

The equity perspective focuses on the inherent value and dignity of others, rather than focusing on the individual characteristics of the actors. In many ways, this perspective involves the rejection of traditional moral theories. Rather than suggesting that people adhere to a particular moral view, those who adhere to the equity principle are likely to believe that one must be pragmatic and not commit to a particular moral perspective, because morality is circumstance-dependent. To me, this perspective most strongly conflicts with the idea of character being critical in morality, and I was not surprised to find it was my lowest score.

I think it is important to understand my own personal ethical perspective because my ethical perspective helps me determine my perception of the moral value of other's actions. It is very easy to respond with emotion to someone's behavior, and not even necessarily understand why those reactions are occurring. To me, I have always been puzzled by why I would react negatively to someone who seemed to always do the right thing, but knowing that I look at intention rather than results helps explain those feelings to me.