Ethics in Personal Relationships
Ethics is defined as the entirety of rules of properly noble conduct correlated to the ideology of a particular partnership or association (Eduard). A Discussion on Honesty in Personal Relationships as an Ethical Dilemma since personal relationships between individuals are also ethical relationships. Ethical relationships by definition require the presence of trust to cement the legitimacy of such relationships that are fundamental to the life of a human being (Shafer et al. 253). An example is the parent-children relationship where children place their utmost trust in their parents relying on them for survival and protection. On the contrary, parents provide the children with the best of their abilities. Similar to this relationship is the one between couples. This paper takes a stance on private ethics of honesty, it explains how private ethics are important rather than having public ethics though they are all interrelated.
Honesty as a Virtue
Honesty as a virtue is the most appropriate way of communication in a relationship between two groups of individuals or parties (Shafer et al. 258). Nearly everybody has at one point in their lives been hurt due to a mystery, a distorted truth, or the discovery of something that should have already been talked about overtly. Not telling the truth always hurts as it undermines the mutual association, it breaks trust, and it is not in line with a good relationship. This means that, in preference to feeling at ease inside the truth which one recognizes the other character and are known to them in turn, you often have doubts approximately them and not feel definitely safe within the relationship (Rokeach and Grube 245). For couples, honesty and full disclosure are the best ways to go about such a relationship. However, there are certain scenarios where the line that separates the appropriateness and inappropriateness of the truth becomes distorted. In a scenario like Tiger Woods where a spouse has had previous relationships with other lovers, one may want to maintain a relationship with his former partner. However, this individual is aware of the fact that their current partner is prone to extreme jealousy and may react with seething rage upon finding out. An individual in such a situation may find himself asking whether it is worth it to reveal this relationship he shares with a former lover to their current partner (Shafer et al. 260).
Difficult Conversations and Small Lies
Similarly, relationships between couples often undergo rough patches while some eventually come to their end. During these periods of difficulty, they often experience periods of being out of love and the relationships lack the passion that may have existed previously. One partner may be feeling unhappy in a relationship. You would think that people would talk about their issues. For many, it is a real dilemma choosing whether to verbalize their feelings to their partners and risk being dismissed. Furthermore, the instances of lying extend to the small lies that are often usual in relationships between partners. These could also be between friends or parents and their children. These lies are often told to spare people's feelings or to avoid needless conflict (Scarnati 25).
Trust and Ethical Violation
In most relationships such as the one described above, expressing details of past relationships will probably lead to a devastating relationship between them. The current lover could begin to suspect their partner is cheating. Attempts to reassure them that they are not would also probably backfire because less understanding partners would not believe them. It also brings to light the issue of trust (Shafer et al. 266). The current lover of the partner with a former lover as a friend may start to feel that they are not trusted by their partner. The ethical violation is determined by the extent to which the current lover values honesty. If they feel that their partner has hurt them or violated their trust by hiding the friendship with a former lover, then there has been an ethical violation.
Honesty in Parent-Child Relationships
Similarly, in a relationship between parents and their kids, honesty needs to be held. Parents often demand honesty from their kids, and the same should be extended to them. For instance, in many marriages, parents who have fallen out of love often chose to stick around for their children. However, this just results in more hurt to their kids who have to witness their parents' loveless marriages and often end up adversely affected. By choosing to hide the true state of their relationship from their children, they create a condition that is beneficial to no party in the relationship, and the kids come out negatively affected by a situation that is out of their control (Shafer et al. 268). This is an ethical violation as the parents have failed to honor their responsibility to protect their kids from the ensuing emotional trauma.
The Importance of Honesty
Lack of honesty means there will be no basis of a long-lasting or exciting dating in any way, even if it's with a family member, buddy, or even spouse. Honesty is what entails and acts as the voice of romance. Without it, even the word 'I love you' will become a lie, and there will be no true security in the relationship. Humans are often commonly greater hurt through the concealment of the truth than with the truth (Scarnati 27). A few people lie because they are afraid of the fact that it will get them in hassle or cause another pain. Despite the truth being painful, it is typically less painful if it is added genuinely than while it's further confined in a deception (Akers 4). Preserving it again or mendacity to cover will often cause people to feel betrayed in addition to being hurt and then question why you weren't sincere in the first place (Rokeach 3).
Conclusion
In conclusion, honesty is a major ethical issue in personal relationships that deserves greater regard than it is often accorded. Admittedly, for many, honest conversations are difficult to have, but they are better than the alternative. Honesty ensures that people are spared from the hurt feelings that accompany dishonesty or hiding of things from friends, kids, or lovers. Dishonesty and concealing of information, on the other hand, are ethical violations as they do not bode well for the wellbeing of the other parties in the respective relationships.
Works cited
Akers, Michael D., and Don Giacomino. "Ethics and the accountants’ code of conduct." Journal of applied Business Research (2000).
Rokeach, M. ‘The Nature of Human Values’ (The Free Press, 1973)
Rokeach, Milton, and Joel W. Grube. "Can values be manipulated arbitrarily." Understanding human values (1979): 241-256.
Scarnati, J. T. ‘Beyond Technical Competence: Honesty and Integrity’ Career Development International, No. 2/1, 1997, pp. 24–27.
Shafer, William E., Roselyn E. Morris, and Alice A. Ketchand. "Effects of personal values on auditors’ ethical decisions." Accounting, Auditing " Accountability Journal 14.3 (2001): 254-277.
