Ethical Development

Everyone grows up. Our physical attributes, language skills, and reasoning capabilities develop as we get older. Ethical philosophers believe that we also “grow up” in our ethical development. Kohlberg believed that people develop from rudimentary understanding to a more advanced knowledge and practice of ethics. He developed three levels of development:

1. The first level represents an elementary understanding of ethical development that focuses on avoiding personal punishment and meeting personal needs. Kohlberg explains that a child will not avoid stealing because stealing is wrong, but will avoid stealing in order to avoid punishment.
2. At level two, an individual might do what is right, but will do so in order to maximize personal gain. Individuals begin to consider others in addition to themselves, but they often act ethically in order to appear as a good person or to fulfill professional obligations. For example, many professionals will act ethically because they have agreed to follow a professional code of conduct. Kohlberg believed that most adults reach this level and are heavily influenced by a desire to be perceived as a “good person.”
3. The final level is considered the highest level of ethical development, and according to Kohlberg, reached by few adults. At this level, professionals show a genuine interest in the welfare of others and have a deep sense of universal ethical principles that guide their behavior.

These stages of ethical development move professionals from a basic individual concern to a recognition of their behavior on others. Bivins conceptualized this development as moral obligations, identifying five specific moral obligations for public relations practitioners:

• To themselves -- to preserve their own integrity
• To clients -- to honor contracts, to use professional expertise in their behalf
• To organizations/employers -- to adhere to organizational goals and policies
• To the profession/colleagues -- to uphold the standards of the profession
• To society -- to consider societal needs and claims

Like Kohlberg’s levels, these obligations progress from an individual ethical orientation to an outward ethical orientation. Such a progression is inherent in a deeper understanding of ethical public relations literacy. As professionals become more ethically literate, they have an increased understanding of the concentric influence of their ethical behavior on others.