Protected Values in Decision-making
According
to Irwin & Baron (as states in Hoch, Kunreuther and Gunther, 2001), “people
often draw a line in the sand to create values that are protected from trade-offs”.
Meaning that people will go to extreme lengths to support their values, even if
the cost is higher than the benefit. However, I do not feel that way. Although I
have “protected values” my values are not set in stone. As the world evolves,
so do my values. I change my values based on personal growth and experiences.
For
example, most religious advocates believe that same sex marriage is an abomination,
but that is not the case. I believe same sex marriage should be held at the
same standard as conventional marriage; where both partners share everything
jointly. Same sex couples can serve society by promoting stability within in
economy; they are help more accountable for themselves and others. For
instance, same sex couples would be required to pay joint taxes and be held responsible
for all other joint responsibilities required by married couples. In addition,
by allowing same sex couples to share health insurance, the amount of people uninsured
within the US would decrease significantly.
Just
as my values evolve over time, people have the tendency to reevaluate their values
when they enter into a new relationship. For example, I use to be for gun
control, until my boyfriend told me more about it. Now, I think that it is
important to have the right to bear arms. For me, owning a gun is a symbolic representation
on freedom; guns provide protection and deter people from invading your home,
country, extra. However, many people do
not feel that way. Most people believe that gun control is required in order to
prevent gun crime. When in reality, gun crime will be more prevalent if gun
control is enforced by the government.
Look
at Australia for example, they implemented a gun ban, in order to reduce crime,
and to this day, gun crime continues to increase within the country. “In 2002 — five years after enacting its gun
ban — the Australian Bureau of Criminology acknowledged there is no correlation
between gun control and the use of firearms in violent crime. In fact, the
percent of murders committed with a firearm was the highest it had ever been in
2006 (16.3 percent)” (Tschirgi, 2012). As you can see, gun control is not as effective a
projected.
Unlike most people who regret violating
their protected values, I choose to reevaluate and even abandon my values as I see
fit. For example, when I found out that my sister was pregnant, I reevaluated
my outlook on abortions. Because my sister is so young and because she has not
had the opportunity to make a life for herself, I chose to be prochoice. I became
willing to stand by my sister not matter choice she made; whether she chose to
get an abortion or not. Throughout life, you sometimes have to change your
values when you feel that they will protect the ones you love. Thus, I think
that all women should have the right to choose their own destiny.
When
faced with a difficult decision, I often resort to my protected values before
coming to a consensus. However, as I states before, my values have a tendency to change based
on personal growth and experience.
Reference
Hoch,
S. J., Kunreuther, H. C. & Gunther, R. E. (Eds.). (2001). Wharton on
making decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tschirgi, G. (2012). Do gun bans
reduce violent crime? Ask the Aussies and Brits. Retrieved from http://www.captainsjournal.com/2012/07/23/do-gun-bans-reduce-violent-crime-ask-the-aussies-and-brits/
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