The law might seem—on its face—as a dualism of "right" and "wrong," or "yes" and "no," or "win" and "lose." But it has an abundance of gray areas. The law is complicated—procedurally and substantively—and the "right" approach or solution is not always apparent from the statutes, regulations, case law, contracts, or client documents. Dilemmas posed by the gray areas can affect our well-being.
Scholars distinguish between morality (our personal set of beliefs that help us make decisions) from ethics (codes of behavior adopted and accepted by groups or communities).
Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky wrote a helpful article called Wellness as Fairness in which he identifies six avenues of justice:
- Distributive: "fair and equitable allocation of burdens and privileges, rights and responsibilities, and pains and gains in society"; balancing merit ("effort and capacity") with need (what everyone needs "to survive and to thrive")
- Procedural: "fair, transparent, informative, respectful, and ... participatory decision-making processes"
- Intrapersonal: justice in our relationship with ourselves; refraining from unduly demeaning ourselves; deeming ourselves worthy of love, care, and regard
- Relational/interpersonal: treating one another with consideration and regard; fostering inclusion and belonging
- Organizational: informational fairness, prioritizing transparency in decision-making and clear communication channels in institutions
- Cultural/community: cultivating distributive, procedural, and interpersonal justice within groups
In cultivating our moral/ethical well-being dimension, let's explore what each of Prilleltensky's avenues of justice means to each of us. Let's also investigate our 24 character strengths and six virtues identified by the
VIA Institute on Character, and learn how our character strengths can help drive moral and ethical decision-making in our professional and personal lives.