Question

You need a little extra money, so you added an extra $100 to your expense reimbursement statement before handing the receipts over to accounting. Your co-worker Sara added over $1000 to her statement. If you believe Sara's actions are worse than yours, what is your level of values maturity?

A) First level of maturity
B) Second level of maturity
C) Third level of maturity

Answer 1

Believing that Sara's actions are worse due to the higher amount stolen indicates a second level of maturity, suggesting a comparative justification but does not equate to a mature ethical standpoint.

Step-by-step explanation:

If we are assessing the scenario provided in terms of values maturity, it can be argued that believing Sara's actions are worse than your own because she added more money to her expense reimbursement statement indicates a second level of maturity. At this level, an individual begins to understand the severity of actions based on quantitative measures, but may not fully embrace the ethical implications equally for all misdeeds, regardless of their scale.

In this case, there's a quantifiable difference between the addition of $100 and $1000, but both actions are instances of dishonesty. The reaction suggests a comparative justification rather than a principled ethical stance, where one's lesser misconduct is deemed more acceptable when compared to a greater one. Nonetheless, both actions are unethical regardless of the amount, indicating that a higher level of values maturity would view both actions as equally improper.