What Is an Ethical Dilemma?

Have you ever confronted an ethical dilemma in your life? A potential employer might ask you that very question. Before you answer, consider what an ethical dilemma actually means in a person's life. An ethical dilemma is one in which a person has to choose between two options, both of which are morally correct but conflict with each other. Ethics and morals are inseparable since they both deal with questions of right and wrong. What constitutes ethical behavior is determined by societal or cultural norms while what constitutes moral behavior is up to the individual to decide based on his own sense of right and wrong.

Perhaps a nearly universal example -- one that almost everyone has faced in some form -- goes something like this: You saw a friend steal a candy bar from the local store. When asked about it, you had to decide whether to lie to the store's security officer to protect your friend or to tell the truth and betray him. Societal norms taught you that both telling the truth and being loyal to a friend are correct, but you then had a moral decision to make regarding which choice was more "right."

Other ethical dilemmas can be highly complex and lead to extremely difficult choices. For instance, a physician might be faced with the question of whether to continue actively treating a terminally ill patient at the request of family members. Continued treatment could cause the patient to suffer or prolong suffering while withholding treatment might make the patient as comfortable as possible and let nature take its course. Respecting the wishes of the family and doing what's best for the patient are both professionally acceptable and ethical, however, the choice as to which course of action is best is a personal, moral one.

Social ethics and responsibility involves a personal responsibility to look closely at actions and decisions for ethical guidelines. By analyzing the ethics of behaviors that might affect society, people are practicing social responsible behavior because their actions may or may not affect society-at-large. Littering is a simple example of social ethics; by throwing trash on the side of the road, an individual has affected the balance of the environment enjoyed by other people and has also ignored their societal responsibility to keep their surroundings clean for everyone. The idea of a balance and respect in society relates directly to social ethics and responsibility.