the conscience

Question 1

authoritarian conscience

Answer 1

- our sense of moral right and wrong is formed in us by authority figures whom we want to obey
- the conscience can be manipulated by authoritarian leaders or govt. eg. nazis

Question 2

the ego

Answer 2

- develops as children grow
- the public face we present to the world
mediates between the urges of the id and the internalised moral standards expected of us by the external world

Question 3

the super ego

Answer 3

- develops as children grow up
- internalised values of our parents/ the regulations, values, and standards of behaviour found in society
- focuses on morality eg. generates feelings of guilt/ satisfaction

Question 4

the id

Answer 4

- chaotic, primal, basic, full of instinctive pulses that seek satisfaction in pleasure
- it is there when we are born, and is our basic animal self

Question 5

features of an overly strong super-ego

Answer 5

- guilt
- obsessional neurosis
- infantile - “wish fulfilment”
- religious experiences

Question 6

vincible ignorance

Answer 6

- how aquinas describes a lack of knowledge for which a person is responsible, and can be blamed for

Question 7

invincible ignorance

Answer 7

- lack of knowledge a person is not morally responsible for, and cannot be blamed for

Question 8

ratio

Answer 8

- used by aquinas to describe practical reason
- placed within every person bc of imago dei
- careful judgement about what to do in specific circumstances

Question 9

conscientia

Answer 9

- process in which people make moral decisions in specific situations, using our ratio
- generating relevant secondary precepts

Question 10

humanistic conscience

Answer 10

- much healthier than authoritarian conscience
- allows us to develop our own personal integrity and moral honesty