The field of ethics explores human behavior and actions and how they fit into the definition of right and wrong, as well as how these actions influence others in a given situation. When facing the scenario of a classmate writing the names on the attendance list of those who are not present, one might have an ethical dilemma. On the one hand, it is a wrongful action, and it is unfair toward others who dedicate their time and effort to attending the lesson. On the other hand, there might be some pressure to conform and not cause any problems. This is when the issue of conformity arises, which explains ethical reasoning since it deals with a person as a part of the community, which governs the actions and beliefs of the individual.
There are several important aspects of conformity that can assist one in ethical reasoning in the scenario given above. The first aspect is that conformity builds perceptions of the individuals within the community, with the community being classmates (Browne, 2019). In the given situation, the student who saw the practice of putting someone’s name on the attendance list as a frequent practice that does not harm anyone and does not pose a danger. Moreover, with a perception of reality where these processes are performed, one can understand that someday they can do so as well. However, another aspect of conformity is that it is essential for human beings to be accepted by their peers (Browne, 2019). In this sense, the student who observed the situation will most likely keep this information to themselves since, this way, they will not be considered as pariahs in case of revealing the information to the educators.
In sum, because it deals with a person as a member of the community, which controls the individual’s behaviors and ideas, the question of conformity arises and helps to explain ethical reasoning. In the scenario above, there are a number of crucial conformity-related factors that can help with ethical reasoning. The first is that conformity shapes how members of the community—in this case, a group of classmates—are perceived by others. Yet there is another component to conformity: it is necessary for people to be accepted by their peers. In this regard, it makes evident that the student who witnessed the incident will probably keep their observations to themselves.
Reference
Browne, Ken. 2019. An Introduction to Sociology. John Wiley & Sons.