A Quick Multiple-Choice Test Concerning Moral Courage

The term moral courage refers to a trait that allows people to act on their moral or ethical beliefs in the face of negative consequences. For example, some people blow the whistle and report wrong-doing in their company even though they know that they might be ostracized or fired—this behavior appears to exemplify moral courage. (For a little bit more on moral courage, check out Ervin Staub’s blog entry, “Moral Courage, Heroism and Heroic Rescue.")

Yesterday I was sifting through the news (the real stuff, not fake), and found one story that struck me as a clear act of moral courage. I thought I’d see if you agree, so I’ve set up a little test (in the spirit of George Costanza at the car dealership). There’s only one question, but it involves looking up the articles in each alternative. (They're all interesting stories.)

Be careful! Moral courage may not be in the form you think, or done by people who fit our preconceived notions of moral or courageous people!

Here’s the test (Feel free to look on the smart phone of the person sitting next to you…):

Which of the following recent news stories best depicts or exemplifies an example of behavior that might be motivated by moral courage?

a) “No spare room with pot stuffed in Fusions”
b) “New Mexico professor seeks to save moon-landing sites”
c) "A Systematic Look at a Serial Problem: Sexual Harassment of Students by University Faculty”
d) “Connecticut man skips job interview to save car crash victim, uses his dress shirt to stop the bleeding”
e) “Raccoon causes 7-acre wildfire in Moffat County”

I suspect you did pretty well on the test, so here’s a bonus question:

Who said, “The only reason I'm in Hollywood is that I don't have the moral courage to refuse the money.”

a) Lassie (any of them)
b) Marlon Brando
c) Dorothy Gale
d) Roger Ebert
e) Roger Rabbit

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Mitch Handelsman is professor of psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. With Samuel Knapp and Michael Gottlieb, he is the co-author of Ethical Dilemmas in Psychotherapy: Positive Approaches to Decision Making (American Psychological Association, 2015). Mitch is also the co-author (with Sharon Anderson) of Ethics for Psychotherapists and Counselors: A Proactive Approach (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), and an associate editor of the two-volume APA Handbook of Ethics in Psychology (American Psychological Association, 2012). But here’s what he’s most proud of: He collaborated with pioneering musician Charlie Burrell on Burrell’s autobiography.

© 2017 by Mitchell M. Handelsman. All Rights Reserved