The Conscience and its Theories presntation.pptx

The psychologist Martha Stout terms conscience "an intervening sense of obligation based in our emotional attachments." Thus a good conscience is associated with feelings of integrity, psychological wholeness and peacefulness and is often described using adjectives such as "quiet", "clear" and "easy".

1. The Conscience and its Theories 1 Presented by Samra

2. 2 When people develop a mature conscience they tend to direct their actions more from within, rather than an outside influence. Commands of the moral conscience come from our perception which we discover in the stories/examples of persons we want to be like.  Moral conscience is the key to responsible freedom  The task of the conscience is to direct our activities

3. 3 Conscience can be described in 3 ways Conscience as a capacity to recognize right and wrong. Conscience as a process of moral reasoning .  Conscience as Judgment .

4. 4 Conscience as a capacity to recognize right and wrong Here conscience is a capacity (ability) of the human person. According to the Church all men and women have the ability to discover the one law that was placed deep within our conscience by God Himself. This Law was not devised by humans, it was inscribed there by God and He calls us to love by doing good and avoiding evil. This is otherwise known as natural law. Through our conscience this law is made known

5. 5  A man or woman’s dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he/she will be judged. All people in all cultures have a general awareness that some things are right and others are wrong and they have the capacity to orient themselves toward the good. Conscience as a capacity defines the essential identity of the human being.

6. 6 Conscience as a process of moral reasoning It is not enough to have a conscience or ability to choose the right and avoid evil. You need to search out in each situation what is the right thing to do. To act according to your conscience, you must seek to be educated about moral issues.

7. 7 Your conscience must be formed and informed. This is a lifelong process of learning. It means relying on community and being humble enough to draw upon many sources of moral wisdom rather than relying on

8. 8 Conscience as judgment  Your conscience is incomplete until you act on it. After examining all the factors, you still need to make a judgment and a decision and a commitment to do what you believe is right and avoid what you believe to be wrong .   .

9. 9  Conscience makes a moral decision “my own” and the moral action expressive of “me” by realizing and expressing my fundamental stance. The decision is not simply about this or that object of choice, but also about being this or that sort of person. This is the conscience that I must obey to be true to myself. Your choices convey who you are.

10. 10 The development of Conscience and Morality One of the branches of psychology – developmental psychology – studies the pattern of growth of the human personality and identity. This is important to the development of conscience because developmental psychology shows how over a lifetime, our personal choices can either mature or decline depending on how we respond to the different challenges of life.

11. 11   Today most psychologists affirm the significant role that both cognitive development and socialization play in the formation of morality. Each stage of life takes place as a result of socialization by parents, teachers and influential members of society. These people model moral behavior, they give opportunities to recognize and practice moral action, and they encourage us to take into consideration the viewpoints of others and to develop the skills needed to reason. As we grow older we begin to accept responsibility for our own actions.

12. 12 Theories of Conscience The Hunch Theory Doing What Comes Naturally Theory  The Little Voice Theory Follow the Crowd Theory The Feeling Theory No Conscience Theory  Using Your Head Theory

13. 13 THE "HUNCH THEORY “ When asked whether a certain action or decision is right or wrong, many people respond: I just know it is or something just tells me it is. However, when asked the reasons, they can't be specific.

14. 14 "DOING WHAT COMES NATURALLY “  THEORY Some believe we are born with a certain moral instinct that tells them right from wrong. Therefore, if people just did what came naturally by instinct they would be doing the right thing according to their conscience.

15. 15 "THE LITTLE VOICE " THEORY   A voice inside telling right or wrong. To them it is the voice of a force or a power other than themselves who gives guidance. 

16. 16 "FOLLOW THE CROWD" THEORY This group believe the majority can't be wrong. If enough people think or feel that something is right then it must be, or wrong- it has to be so. 

17. 17 "THE FEELING " THEORY Conscience for some is a matter of how one "feels" after the action is taken or a decision is made. If you feel good - it was right, if you feel bad - it was wrong. If a person feels bad, or guilty, then it was wrong.

18. 18 "NO CONSCIENCE" THEORY No conscience at all. The idea is something that religions have made up to make people feel guilty about certain actions. A person just does what they decide to do or does what they must in a given situation and that is all that should be expected or required of anyone .

19. 19 "USING YOUR HEAD" THEORY Conscience involves using our head - our ability to reason, considering all alternatives and aspects of a given situation while always keeping in mind which values and priorities are most important and which are not; and trying to do the most loving and least harmful thing for all concerned. Number 7 is the teaching of the Catholic church. We also believe that a person's conscience develops as that individual's ability to think, to reflect and to exercise clearer, more objective judgment matures

20. 20 THANK YOU