Caleb Houston

Mrs. Plummer
ENG 211C
Definitional Argument
Ethical Behavior
In todays general public, the classification of what determines if an action or decision is
an ethical behavior, is often debatable and controversial. The broad topic of ethical behavior can
be simplified in breaking down the concepts and examples of what society considers and ethical
behavior. Though ethical behavior is usually defined as acting in ways consistent with what
society and individuals typically think are good values, a more accurate definition is acting in
way that is beneficial to oneself and accepted morally by that person and the culture they
support. The current definition of ethical behavior is inadequate due to its main concern with
society and what society accept, whereas the definition I am presenting runs off of three
criterion in which those are self-benefit, personal moral acceptance and then the support and
approval of society.
The first criteria is that, in which, the ethical behavior must be solely beneficial to that
person. Ethical behavior can determine ones decision-making and thought process in which way
they would most benefit from. The use of ethics could be negative to other peers but as long as
that ethical decision improves that persons standing or position, then the decision is ethically
beneficial (www.scholarship.claremont.edu). According to Tenbruensel and Crowe (2008),
decision-making is specifically split up into ethical and unethical categories depending on the
circumstances surrounding the factors and consequences that may ensue after a person decides
what to do (www.uri.edu). The importance of the beneficial criteria describes the reason for a

clear motivation behind that persons decision and the result they hope to accomplish or produce
can define the action as ethical or not. With the beneficial criteria, the action or decision can be
closely defined with that of an ethical behavior.
The second criteria is explained as the personal moral acceptance in which the action or
behavior must coincide with the values that, that person holds highest to their conscious
understanding. The guidelines by ethical behavior work with morals are in which one processes
the situation at hand and reacts with a decision that will, morally, be satisfactory to the persons
conscious. (www.memun.org). According to uk.sagepub.com, moral recognition effects routine
choices and decisions that have ethical dimension to them. In order to comply with these moral
effects, ethical decisions must benefit the persons moral standing or beliefs in order to
effectively be considered a pure, ethical behavior. The moral acceptance in which one needs to
take into consideration when defining the action or behavior as ethical can clarify the
understanding behind what one determine about the motive behind the action itself.
The third criteria is defined as the social and culture support in which the person hopes to
earn by committing the action or behavior. With the backing of the society or culture in which
the person bases their decisions on is important to the ethical behavior and result they hope to get
out of the situation they are faced with. It is important that an ethical behavior is based on a
cultural or social standard to which it has backing by a group (www.griffith.edu.au). According
to www.bentley.edu, ethical decisions should satisfy social standards and the culture that, that
person represents. With some source of support, the importance of ethical behaviors would not
be as defined as they would without at standard or culture behind it.
In conclusion, the criteria in which ethical behavior must match is superior to that of the
textbook definition in which it focuses more on the person making the decision and not the

complete social understanding behind that behavior. The three criteria in which one can define an
action or decision as ethical can be described by the sole benefits one hopes to receive, personal
moral acceptance, and the social and culture support in which they hope to earn. With these three
criteria, one can ultimately define an action as ethical with the definition provided rather than the
definition given by textbook.

Works Cited
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28 Oct. 2015.
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