Temptation, desire and ethics

Temptation is a very big thing. Although we usually know what is actually the 'right' thing to do in most morally conflicted circumstances, there is a Biblical verse dealing with bribery and desire which sticks in my mind: "Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 'All this I will give You,' he said, 'if You will fall down and worship me' (Matthew 4:8). In other words, follow the party line, even though you might have doubts about doing it, and I will reward you really, really well. 

Movies are often built on this trope, as is popular literature, art, music and all sorts of creative endeavour. As can be the spoutings of clubs, organisations, political parties, economies, societies, cults, and nutbars. Get us to drink the Kool-Aid, and think that - if we agreed to go along with the rhetoric once - we will go along with it for good.

Ethics refers to the systematic study of moral principles, values, and conduct that guide us in distinguishing a 'right' choice from a 'wrong' one; "Discerning right and wrong and the selection of actions that arise out of such judgement are fundamental to human life" (Bakshi & Goss, 2019, p. 265). Ethics have a strong role in the entire career development continuum, and is central to any career intervention. Ethical considerations keep both the client and practitioner safe and to have solid ground to refer back to if at any stage either party feels like they are venturing into uncertain waters. Any career practitioners “offering professional career advice [are] bound by a set of ethical standards” (Osborne and Zunker, 2016, p. 44). How we deliberately consider ethics throughout our process and in our decision-making is by having professional codes of ethics. Such codes are “indicative of a mature profession, one in which members strive for similar ideals and maintain similar standards of excellence and who, thereby, have a shared professional identity” (Bakshi & Goss, 2019, p. 265, citing Mabe & Rollin, 1986).

Our morals could be outlined via "human survival [which] depends on [us collectively] finding ways to live together in peaceful, mutually supportive relations created an evolutionary imperative for fundamental moral behaviors such as altruism, trust, and reciprocity" (Moore & Gino, 2013, p. 54; and yes, I get the irony in using a co-authored Francesca Gino paper! But the literature review is sound). A "moral compass [...] describe[s] the common experience of an inner voice that motivates us toward ethically sound action" (p. 54). It was "inspired by navigational compasses [using] the earth's magnetic field to align a needle with the magnetic poles at the top and bottom of the Earth. A directional tool used for over 1000 years" (p. 54), used as a metaphor for holding true to our own ideals. It encompasses our deeply held values, principles, and personal beliefs, which then act as our touchstone to measure our potential behavior against... to see if it will align with our internal code of ethics.

A strong internal craving for something, desire has been defined as "one's desires dispose one to [take action, as by] doing them [i.e. taking those actions] will satisfy those desires" (Stampe, 1986, p. 152). That something could be an object, an experience, or an outcome. Desire influences our behaviour and our decision-making. Ranging from basic physiological needs to more complex emotional and social aspirations, the ethical implications of desire often depend on the alignment or divergence from societal morals, norms and values.

Temptation, or "intentionally engaging a person’s desire for that which is in some sense wrong" (Hughes, 1999, p. 372), entices us toward actions, behaviors, or choices which don't align with our personal or professional ethics or morals. We have an internal struggle between ethics and desire, often when immediate gratification competes with our longer-term commitment to uphold ethical principles or adhere to moral norms. Getting caught - the consequences - is further away.

And that is often the trouble. We expect our reckoning to be a long way off. The movie tropes tend to hinge on the uncovering, and the shock of that exposure. I suspect that immediate gratification may be balanced against 'will anyone find out?' for us cheating on a diet, for example. I was most interested to notice that Dr Michael Mosley told participants in television series that he would know from their blood work if they cheated on their diet and exercise programme (2021). Knowing that others will know brings the immediacy of gratification of desire and  the sense of moral wrong into exactly the same position; but the desire is outweighed by the large dollop of shame from being outed. 

To be effective, temptation must work on our desire, while anaesthetising our ethics and moral compass, and remain SECRET. Come, walk with me up this mountain, and I will just show you a bit of a view... and no one will know.

Sam

References:

Bakshi, A. J., & Goss, S. (2019). Trends related to ethics, technology, counselling and careers. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 47(3), 265-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2019.1630603

Hughes, P. M. (1999). Temptation and the Manipulation of Desire. Journal of Value Inquiry, 33(3), 371-379. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004590630623

Moore, C., & Gino, F. (2013). Ethically adrift: How others pull our moral compass from true North, and how we can fix it. Research in Organizational Behavior, 33, 53-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2013.08.001

Mosley, M. (2021). 21 Day Body Turnaround with Michael Mosley [Three-part TV series]. Channel 4.

Osborn, D. S., & Zunker, V. G. (2016). Using assessment results for career development (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Stampe, D. W. (1986). Chapter 8: Defining desire. In J. Marks (Ed.), The Ways of Desire (pp. 149-174). Routledge.