Show-Me 4-H Character

Module Two

Character Development Theory

Domains of Character

COGNITIVE(Intellectual) The “Head”

AFFECTIVE Emotional The “Heart”

BEHAVIORAL(Conduct)

The “Habits”

Character Education Is About Duties, Not

Desires

Character education is about teaching young people to know, accept and live up to their moral duties and obligations.

It is not about identifying or pursuing personal preferences and desires.

More Than Obedience

Character education is not about obedience; it is about teaching young people to make sound moral judgments.

What IsCharacter?

“Character”

In one sense, character is what is inside of us that responds to life.

Our responses come from the habits and dispositions we have learned and developed.

“Character” Vs. “Good Character”

Everyone has a character, but not everyone has good character.

When we refer to a person’s character, we are concerned with the moral choices he makes, and the virtues he may or may not practice.

A person has good character because he knows the difference between right and wrong, and strives to do what is right for the right reasons.

Showing Our True Character

We don’t show our true character by:

Rare acts of moral courage Single acts of bad behavior

We do show our true character every day by:

Our normal and consistent attitudes and behavior.

How we treat people who cannot help us or hurt us.

Showing Our True Character

Character is how we act when we think no one is watching.

Conscience is the inner voice that warns us someone may be watching.

Character and Conscience

Character and Reputation

Our reputation is what other people think we are.

Character is what we really are.

Sources of Good Character

Character is not inherited, nor is it forever determined by our environment.

We have to be taught character.

Four Sources of Good Character

Good character comes from: practicing personal discipline in our choices.

Monitoring our thoughts and cultivating good ideals and values.

Having courage. Determination.

Building Character

When we refer to “building character,” we are concerned with instilling within a person the positive, admirable and ethical traits that are associated with good character.

Three Ways to Build Character

Follow the rules of good behavior.

Develop good habits, which come only through repeated practice.

Provide positive examples.

Ideas, beliefs and desires that shape the formation of goals, motivate actions and

establish criteria for evaluating decisions and

conduct.

Values

Stated and Operational Values

STATED VALUES: What we say we value and the level of importance we say we attach to the value.

OPERATIONAL VALUES: What we actually value as revealed by our actions and how we make decisions and resolve conflicts among competing values.

Consistency between stated and operational

values is a matter of integrity.

Integrity

Module Two – Character Development Theory © 2004 Josephson Institute

Ethical ValuesBeliefs about what is right and good based on moral duty and virtue; beliefs about what traits of character

and ways of being are morally right and good

Nonethical ValuesBeliefs about what is desirable or pleasurable without reference to the moral codes; nonethical

values are ethically neutral.

Values

Other Factors Influencing Our

Values: Culture (including

nationality, ethnicity and religious tradition)

Religious Beliefs Values of Family &

Teachers (beliefs of those who care for and nurture us)

Personal Experiences Reasoning and Reflection Organizational Values Professional and Business

Norms

Values Are Different Than Ethics

“Values” refers to all important beliefs.

“Ethics” refers only to beliefs about moral right and wrong.

Ethics

Ethics is about right and wrong and how an honorable person should behave.

Two Aspects of Ethics

DISCERNMENT

Ability to discern right from wrong,

good from evil and propriety

from impropriety

DISCIPLINE

Will power and discipline to do

what is right, regardless of

temptations and pressures to do

otherwise

ISvs.

OUGHT

“IS” Ethics“IS” Ethics “OUGHT” Ethics“OUGHT” Ethics“Is” ethics is purely descriptive of norms of behavior, the way individuals or groups actually behave without regard to any notion of moral obligation or what should or ought to be; associated with ethical relativism.

“Ought” ethics is prescriptive. It

prescribes behavior based on objective standards of right

and wrong that create moral

obligations. Ethical principles provide

standards of conduct and

objective criteria of ethics.

Ethics is not about the way things are.

It’s about the way they ought to be.

Why Be Ethical?

PrudenceIt’s the smart thing to do

(self-interest)

VirtueIt’s the right thing to do

Obstacles to Good Ethics

When the motivation for ethical behavior is self-interest, decision making is reduced to risk/reward calculations rather than committed adherence to ethical principles.

If the risk is low enough or the rewards are high enough, ethical principles are compromised.

Ethics of Self-Interest

The real test of our character is whether we arewilling to do theright thing evenwhen it is not in our self-interest.

Module Two – Character Development Theory © 2004 Josephson Institute29