JOURNAL 5

Nellie Gotebeski

Semptember 29, 2009

Moral Development

When I look at people around me, how do intuitions get them into trouble? What kind of cultural narratives do people use to motivate or justify their behavior?

Intuition is typically defined as a direct perception of truth independent of any reasoning process. It is an effortless and quick, non-deliberate choice. Therefore, when we make decisions based on our intuition it is assumed that we do not use moral judgment as a guide. Without moral judgment guiding our actions, it is understandable why intuitions can get us into trouble. In Eidelson’s Dangerous Ideas, he lists five belief domains that may control us on an individual or a group level. When we act intuitively, it can be assumed that we may subconsciously act according to these five core beliefs. The results of this intuitive process can lead to destructive consequences and can get people in trouble. The five belief domains are: superiority, injustice, vulnerability, distrust, and helplessness. 

On the other hand, Bargh and Ferguson state, “higher mental processes that have traditionally served as quintessential examples of choice and free will--such as goal pursuit, judgment, and interpersonal behavior-have been shown recently to occur in the absence of conscious choice or guidance. The two psychologists declare that moral judgment is primary intuition and reasoning is post-hoc. 

Thus the debate that is risen is whether moral judgment can occur at this quick, effortless, and automatic level. I decide to investigate the matter by observing people around me. I will observe their intuitions and then listen to their narratives to see how they justify their behavior. 

College is a prime location to see people acting intuitively. For instance, sporting events are a great place to observe intuitive actions. When athletes are caught up in the moment, they may let their emotions get the best of them and react contrary to how they would normally behave. For example, during Notre Dame’s victory against Michigan State, one our receivers caught a touchdown pass and afterwards jumped into the Michigan State band. When I asked Golden about it, he stated that he didn’t really think about it, it just happened. He had a ton of momentum and excitement from catching the pass and therefore, displaced the energy by jumping on top of the “enemy.” Another intuitive reaction I observed occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Debartlo Hall. A Notre Dame student fell down the steps and dropped her books everywhere. Several students immediately started to laugh when she fell. These laughing students, some being my good friends, told me it was an automatic reaction. They said they probably would not have liked people laughing at them if they fell, but they couldn’t control it. They said that if they could have had some control or time to deliberate their choices they would not have laughed at the girl who fell. Intuitive reactions, while often leading to regretful behavior, can also lead to positive circumstances. For instance, we hear about the man who runs and pushes a young girl out of the way of a moving car. Obviously, this occurs so fast and the man who performs this action does not have much time to thoroughly weigh his options. However, something tells him that it is morally right to save this girls life and he acts upon this intuition.

From my observations, it is evident that our intuitions can lead us to perform moral actions and immoral actions. However, from the cultural narratives it is still under debate whether a high reasoning occurs or not. Some people said that their actions were uncontrollable and they didn’t think about it, while others said it was something they knew they had a moral obligation to do. It seems as though afterwards we can easily reflect on our actions and try to discover what guided us to behave that way. However, when it comes to intuitive actions, it becomes more difficult. These actions occur so quickly that perhaps there was some conscious moral judgment underlying the actions or perhaps it just occurred automatically without any reasoning at all. In seems to be a reoccurring theme, that those who behave against their moral standards, claim it was unconscious and they would have acted differently if they had time to deliberate the situation. While those who act morally, claim that they did this act because they morally knew it was the right thing to do, even if they were only given a few milliseconds to analyze the situation.