Morality???

Question

Is morality and individual choice or is it determined by one's upbringing?


What do you think?

Answer 1

Both--I can bring my child up in the best way I think possible, but he is always free to choose differently at some point in his life.

Answer 2

Some people say it's ones upbringing others say it's a choice. Truth be told I think it's a combonation of both. A friend told me once that where we are in life is a choice not a circumstance. While circumstances (i.e. ones upbringing) can force you to make certain choices it can't make you change your morals, provided you have any. Depends on the person and how much they soaked up.

Answer 3

Morality, by defintion, is a sense of defined values of right and wrong.

Each person has their own morality, based on conditioning, experiences, cognitive abilties, and, to a very small degree, brain chemistry. Outside influences, such as parenting and rearing, culture, religion or lack thereof, education, and group dynamics have significant influences on how one develops a sense of morality, but what many do not consider, and is one the biggest factors, is one's own sense of self-worth or self-esteem. Those with a low self-worth or self-esteem are more likely to be 'immoral,' or have less stringent and restrictive values for right and wrong than those with higher self-worth and self-esteem. It's a compensatory instinct to 'make right' what one thinks might be 'wrong' in order to enhance their own sense of self-worth, thus "making bad things okay so I feel better about doing them" rather than dealing with the often painful truth about one's self.

To answer your question, morality is an individual choice, that is significantly affected by one's upbringing, along with many other factors.

Answer 4

Morality is both of your choices, but more besides. Society sets 'morality' in it's laws ... to 'break the law' is 'immoral' unless the law is immoral, but if the law is immoral, you must use legal means to change it. My mother and grandparents taught me their morals, but my morals are my own, and they are different from the morals my grandmother had. They are no more 'right' or 'wrong' ... simply different. I will NEVER kill anyone, I will never HARM anyone, I will NEVER do many things that my grandmother never thought of and a few that are 'new' to us now. It's very WRONG to say you are 'a moral person' because you think someone else is 'immoral' ... it's only that your morals are 'at odds' with each other, and that person may be just as 'moral' as you are, according to his code of morals. That is why we are 'figthing terrorists' ... we think we 'know what is right' ... but so do they, from their own moral code ... so it would be better to 'talk' and see if we can come to some compromise, than to continue to kill people in war.

Answer 5

Morality is most definitely an individual choice. Once your become an adult with a clear understanding of right or wrong it is no longer the parents responsibility for your actions.

Answer 6

Morality is your choice, guided by upbringing and social strictures.

If you choose to be moral, you can be.

Answer 7

I think its a personal choice influenced by upbringing..

Answer 8

Ultimately you chose your values. Of course, you are exposed to different "values/moralities" with the people you meet (parents-friends) and the things you watch and listen to (tv and radio). Usually your parents have the most influence.

Answer 9

Definitely both. Your parents instill their morals in you, but you change your mind about some of them. I think that children and adolescents mimic their parents morals totally, even when they think they're rebelling.

Answer 10

I think its determined by your upbringing by what your parents/caregivers impart to you.