“You have no conscience” - almost everyone has heard this expression. But what is conscience and do we need it? First, I propose to deal with the definition.
Conscience is the ability to independently formulate moral duties and exercise moral self-control, demand that one fulfill them and evaluate one’s actions. Conscience binds together reason and emotions: it is both a rational awareness of the moral significance of the actions performed and emotional experiences (feelings of guilt or “remorse”).
First argument
The central character of V. P. Astafiev’s story “The Horse with a Pink Mane,” Vitka, commits a rather vile act: he eats all the collected strawberries and fills the container with grass so that it seems that there are a lot of berries. In order for Sanka, with whom Vitka was picking berries, not to tell the hero’s grandmother anything, he decides to steal the rolls from her and give them to Sanka.
Having deceived his grandmother twice, Vitka experiences pangs of conscience. The main character realizes that he did something wrong. Vitka cannot sleep because all this time he compares himself with a real criminal. The boy's conscience does not allow Vitka to keep a secret from his grandmother, so he decides to tell about the deception in the morning.
However, Vitka does not tell her grandmother about the deception, and she sells the mug with strawberries, after which she independently finds out about her grandson’s act. All this time Vitka feels guilty. This suggests that the main character is a conscientious boy who understands that he did wrong.
Do all people have a conscience?
Conscience is a mechanism for moral assessment of an individual’s actions, deeds and words. Comparison occurs with the internal value system. That is why attempts to shame noisy youth or call an alcoholic to conscience turn out to be useless. You will not create a feeling of shame if the root of the problem, the reason for the conversation, is not of value to the person.
Thus, conscience and morality differ from person to person. The formation of an internal value system is influenced by the style of family education, development conditions, social environment of development, the state of society, level of intelligence, individual psychological characteristics of the individual, public culture. Conscience is a reflection of a person’s internal beliefs and values, his inner world.
Conscience is different, but all healthy people have it. The same cannot be said about psychopaths. This is what people with antisocial personality disorder are called. Such people do not know how to sympathize, they do not have empathy, they do not recognize the emotions and needs of other people. For a psychopath, there is only himself and his goals. They have no conscience.
Second argument
In the story “Poor Liza” N.M. Karamzin demonstrated the story of the tragic love between Liza and Erast. A poor peasant woman and a rich nobleman fell in love with each other, their feelings were bright and sincere. However, at one point, Erast’s love for Lisa cooled, he stopped seeing her every day, and then went to war altogether, leaving Lisa alone. Soon the girl saw Erast, and he confessed to her that he was marrying another woman. This revelation and the betrayal of her lover caused Lisa to commit suicide. Erast, having learned about this, feels guilty. Until the end of his days, he considers himself involved in this tragedy. The hero's conscience does not allow him to be a happy person. The narrator notes that Erast was unhappy until the end of his life.
The concept of conscience in psychology
Conscience is studied by various sciences: philosophy, ethics, sociology, psychology. Psychological theory is of particular interest to us. Many psychologists have devoted their research to the problem of conscience, but a special contribution was made by the Swiss psychiatrist and educator Carl Gustav Jung.
According to his definition, conscience is the ability of an individual to think critically about the morality of actions and thoughts. This is a conscious adherence to the internal value system. Conscience is associated with the consciousness and self-awareness of the individual, as well as volitional self-regulation.
Conscience consists of two levels: subjective and objective value judgments. Conscience begins to torment if subjective values are violated. That is, what a person associates with himself, what is bad and good for him. If objective values are violated, that is, someone else acts immorally, then a person may experience anger, disappointment, regret, but will not suffer from guilt.
Conscience takes different forms:
- addition of reflection;
- an affective reaction during the course of mental processes (for example, a feeling of fear that arises in a situation where the situation contradicts the values of the individual);
- dreams.
The voice of conscience is not always recognized by the person himself. The internal controller can speak in dreams or hint through worry, fear, anxiety, or guilt. And constant disagreements with conscience, conscious and unconscious ignoring of it lead to neuroses and psychosomatic disorders.
Interesting fact: conscience is a product of the social in man. Animals have no conscience.
Conscience concept
A person in life is guided by certain moral principles, laws, in accordance with which he acts in a given life situation. A person strives to follow these moral unwritten laws, sometimes even against his will.
It is quite obvious that the value, that is, semantic or significant function of a person’s moral ideas is so closely intertwined with their imperative, i.e. imperative function that it is sometimes difficult to separate them from each other.
Moral values always guide a person in his behavior. This is impossible due to the fact that it is beneficial or pleasant for a person to take them into account in his decisions and actions. These values act in such a way that they influence the will of a person. Moral values are not just proclaimed, they are always proclaimed in a form that indicates the need for their practical implementation in actions. Commitment to moral values is perceived by a person as a duty. Failure to fulfill a duty is perceived as guilt and is experienced with reproaches and remorse.
Conscience is a category of ethics that characterizes a person’s ability to exercise moral self-control, independently formulate moral obligations for himself, demand that he fulfill them, and give self-assessment of his actions; one of the manifestations of a person’s moral self-awareness.
How to raise her
The concept in question is defined as moral consciousness, instinct or feeling in an individual. Conscience is the inner understanding of good and evil. It is the ability to identify the quality of an action. The analyzed concept encourages the individual to truth, leads to goodness, and turns away from lies.
There are many arguments indicating that conscience, in its adequate manifestation, is a natural and necessary property of a person, preserving his health and prolonging his life.
People who have clear moral values are respected by society. It’s more comfortable and reliable with them, which is why many people prefer to have such people as friends or business partners. The ability to act in accordance with one’s own developed principles, ideals, concepts of good and evil also gives firmness, determination, confidence to the individual himself.
Children's conscience begins to actively develop around the age of six. It is the duty of every parent to cultivate morality and conscience in their own children, despite the fact that they are completely different categories in essence. Morality consists of an infinite number of “taboos,” sometimes justified, sometimes not. What is immoral in Europe is considered normal in Asia.
For children, parents are a kind of external censors. Their primary task is to ensure that the child is able to distinguish good from bad. For the little ones, it is necessary to set the boundaries of what is acceptable.
We can distinguish 3 main principles in the formation of the ability under consideration: the development of a moral awareness of good and evil, the cultivation of the desire to act correctly and the development of an adequate response to one’s erroneous action.
Children should develop:
- internal skill - moral decision;
– the ability to recognize good and evil;
– a system of value guidelines that the baby should be guided by;
– reaction to deviation from one’s own values;
- desire to act correctly.
As a person grows up, he grows out of the rules born in childhood. At first, this is observed in puberty, when the individual gradually becomes cramped within the old framework and restrictions. Then it arises in youth, when one’s philosophy of life is formed. If an individual’s personality is actively developing at this stage, then he will outgrow his own conscience, which will be replaced by meaningfulness and responsibility.
Therefore, a person needs to understand that responsibility for his actions lies entirely with him. You should not try to shift the blame for your own actions onto circumstances or the environment. Trying to justify yourself does not lead to good things. It is more effective and constructive to learn to correct the negative consequences of unseemly actions.
What is remorse and why is it dangerous?
Pangs of conscience are a person’s dissatisfaction with himself, disappointment in himself, guilt and fear. Arises in response to actions that contradict the inner world of the individual. Constant remorse reduces self-esteem, deprives a person of self-respect and can even drive him into depression.
Conscience is part of the soul (human psyche). When we live in harmony with our values, we experience satisfaction. If we constantly violate our own guidelines, then we suffer and suffer. Conscience is the moral consciousness of an individual. It stores the standards of good and bad, right and wrong. It is also responsible for the reaction to the correspondence or contradiction of the actions of an individual or another person and moral values.
Sample 4
In the carousel of events in modern life, there is not always time to think about the correctness of actions; basically, when making decisions, people are guided by their emotions.
Every person throughout his life has to face difficulties and overcome obstacles. Methods for solving problems and overcoming obstacles may vary: some do everything honestly and openly, while others “go over their heads,” betray friends, and deceive.
About a person who does not harm anyone through his ways of achieving goals, and does not infringe on the dignity of others, we can say that he lives according to his conscience. He who lives according to his conscience thinks about others, and not just about himself.
Probably, every person who has acted ugly has to feel an unpleasant feeling - conscience. This feeling helps us analyze our actions and choose the path that will be most ethically acceptable and will not harm other people, and conscience also helps us take into account the mistakes we have made.
A conscientious person will never betray his neighbor, even if he ever makes a mistake or stumbles, he will do everything to prevent this from happening again.
However, not everyone loves this feeling, not everyone likes it. Many people systematically oppress it, each time feeling their conscience weaker and, in the end, stop feeling it. But by acting according to our conscience, we gain the approval of others and make the world a better place. Also, it is better to accept the gratitude of those around you than to feel tormented by conscience. Sometimes there is an opportunity to help someone, but at the same time you are lazy, you don’t really want to expend energy. You have a choice, either rest, your own leisure, or help to strangers or relatives. And if you choose selfishness, you will feel remorse, but if you systematically do this, then the feeling will fade and may completely disappear. It seems that it’s not so bad, but living only for yourself, it is impossible to gain the approval of others and positive energy. By choosing the path of conscience, helping others, we make the world a little better, people develop positive emotions that are transmitted to the person who acts according to his conscience.
Living according to conscience does not imply that the interests of other people are in any case placed above your own, but at the same time, it means that, to the best of your ability, you need to help others, be responsive and friendly. You need to notice your wrong, selfish actions and try to make them as few as possible.
The topic of conscience in scientific research
With the advent of devices that allow scanning the brain and visualizing areas of increased activity, the era of experiments in studying the human brain began. Gradually, scientists were able to put together a complete picture of how the brain works and which parts of it are responsible for certain emotions.
In 2014, it was possible to discover a part of the brain that is activated when a person is asked to make a deliberately immoral decision. Scientists from Oxford came to the conclusion that emotions associated with such a category as conscience are concentrated in one of the 12 sections of the lateral frontal cortex of the human brain, located directly above the eyebrows [University of Oxford, 2014].
Visually, this section is a spherical clot of nervous tissue, and it has different sizes in different people, so the reactions of each individual to the same external stimuli may differ. It is interesting that only humans have this 12th section (lateral frontal pole), while monkeys have only 11 sections. These 11 sections largely coincide in structure with similar sections of the human lateral frontal cortex.
Let us clarify that the objectives of the study were noticeably broader than the “search for conscience”, and are fully reflected in the article Brain area unique to humans linked to cognitive powers (“The area of the brain unique to humans is associated with cognitive abilities”) [University of Oxford, 2014 ].
Of course, research of this magnitude is not carried out in one day or year. Interim results were published back in 2011 in the article Frontal cortex and reward-guided learning and decision-making [M. Rushworth et al., 2011].
Russian scientists also made their contribution to the study of this issue. Our scientists propose to consider conscience from an anthropocentric perspective, which will allow us to better understand the underlying reasons for human behavior in situations of moral choice. You can read more about this approach in the article “Towards an understanding of the phenomenon of conscience in psychology” [P. Barsukova, 2010].
Scientists at the Institute of Human Brain of the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that the so-called “pangs of conscience” are a sign of normal brain function [Interfax, 2015]. However, Russian scientists, unlike their Western colleagues, are not inclined to believe that only one part of the brain is responsible for emotions associated with conscience. Everything related to complex psychological reactions can only be considered in the context of the functioning of the nervous system and the brain as a whole.
Research on the topic of conscience actualizes new scientific problems related to this issue. Thus, some researchers especially focus on the fact that any person self-determines in matters of conscience and morality both in his personal capacity and as a social agent, i.e. acting as an agent of public morality, the action of which is institutionally mediated [R. Apresyan, 2018].
Therefore, in future research it will be logical to study conscience as a phenomenon, taking into account the fact that it will manifest itself differently as an autonomous agent and as an agent of public morality. This dilemma is discussed in more detail in the article “The Problem of Conscience in Modern Russian Psychological Research and the Problems of Ethics” [R. Apresyan, 2018]. The author develops this idea in his subsequent works. In particular, in the article “Philosophical and ethical guidelines for the psychological study of conscience” [R. Apresyan, 2019].
Now that we have some idea of how conscience functions and what it is, it’s time to try to answer the question in the title: why doesn’t everyone have a conscience?
Conscience – good or bad?
How does conscience influence a person's life? In politics, much of the debate surrounding this sentiment concerns the right to conscientious objection to military service. Should pro-abortion doctors be required to perform abortions or refer patients to doctors who will? Should priests remove the confessional seal and report sex offenders who confess to them? Is it possible to exempt pacifists from military conscription because of their opposition to war? [VeryWell Mind, 2019].
Read also: Baby rolls up when crying
Essay on Conscience
What is conscience? Many people ask this question. But the answer is simple and should not be difficult.
Conscience is a worm that lives somewhere in a person’s soul, waiting to awaken. And when he finally wakes up, it won’t seem like much to anyone. Because conscience is the quality that “gnaws” a person from the inside, forcing him to listen to it. She wakes up every time we do something bad. Did you take a pen from a classmate and didn’t return it after class? And conscience is right there. Forgot about a promise to a friend? Don’t worry, your conscience will definitely remind you. Did you say something bad and offensive to someone? Conscience will help you apologize. She has extensive connections, she knows everything. At the same time, she will torment the person until he understands and corrects his mistakes. She can’t just say, “Enough is enough.” You cannot get rid of conscience if it already lives in your soul. She will provoke insomnia and hunger, but she will still achieve her goal.
So, one might say, conscience is a kind of regulator of human behavior. She does not allow him to do a bad thing, to offend someone. And if something bad does happen, conscience makes a person regret it and correct the situation at all costs.
However, no matter how hard a conscience tries, not all people have it. Some come to an agreement with it in advance, suppress it, pushing it into the darkest and farthest corner of their soul. And it does help. Such people are not gnawed by their conscience. And they continue to do bad things, knowing neither repentance nor compassion.
So where does conscience come from? Nobody knows this. Most likely, it appears depending on upbringing. If parents have explained to a person from childhood what is good and bad, then he will have a conscience. If the child is not raised, he will grow up unscrupulous and selfish.
Conscience can make a person's life impossible. However, it is thanks to her that people still maintain good relations with each other. That is why everyone should have a conscience. Otherwise, what kind of person is this?
To summarize, we can say that conscience is one of the basic terms of morality, defining what is “bad” and what is “good.” It cannot be suppressed, it cannot be removed from the soul. After all, conscience can help a person, it maintains his purity and light in his heart.
Forms of manifestation of conscience
For some people, conscience may be greatly distorted or completely absent. But, as a rule, this is characteristic of people with excessive egocentrism, or with a psychopathic personality type. Under the influence of unfavorable environmental factors, an incorrect understanding of basic moral concepts has formed. In this case, a person may even understand that his actions offend the people around him, but he is not particularly interested in their experiences, he does not have developed empathy and sensitivity.
We will consider situations when a person’s conscientiousness is developed within normal limits, and he is absolutely adequate in his assessments of morality. Such a person definitely had situations when he was “tormented by his conscience.” This means that the person was visited by mental anguish regarding his words or actions.
Lack of action can also be a cause of remorse. For example, he remained silent in a situation where he could have stood up for a friend, or did not take part in some important event and let people down, or promised to do something, but did not keep his word.
However, there is another extreme. There are people who torment themselves with pangs of conscience excessively, and sometimes in vain. This may be typical for people with low self-esteem or increased anxiety. It constantly seems to them that they have offended someone, hurt someone, and stress themselves out, exacerbating the torment. A constant feeling of guilt can give rise to depression, so it is important to be able to get rid of internal torment.
