When a person or a group maintains that something is morally good but does the opposite, we are faced with a double standard. In general, the mechanism of double standards is the following: something is forbidden or frowned upon socially and despite this it continues to be practiced in secret.
There is also talk of double standards to refer to those people who reject what they do in others. These types of attitudes are hypocritical and represent an obvious personal contradiction.
Morals and double standards
All cultures have codes of behavior that allow us to distinguish what is right from what is wrong, what is good and what is morally bad. These codes are usually originally religious, but they end up being installed in the whole of society.
There are moral norms that are widely accepted as valid (for example, the prohibition of incest, the rejection of violence or the different forms of slavery). However, other moral norms are partially rejected, since it is socially correct to say that they are not valid, but many people practice them in a hidden way. When this happens, the moral statement is false and becomes a double standard. If someone rejects prostitution because he considers it immoral, but uses the services of a prostitute, he is practicing a double standard.
The psychological mechanism
As a general rule, we all like to look good to others. To achieve this, we say everything that sounds good, what we know will be socially accepted. This need for acceptance is probably the basis for double standards in society.
The curious thing about double standards is the fact that we attribute this type of behavior to others, since we value ourselves very positively from the point of view of personal integrity. Consider the widespread criticism of labor exploitation in the world, a rejection that in many cases is accompanied by the purchase of products obtained from that same exploitation.
Whole people are those who practice what they profess
We can say many things about what is good or bad. However, what is really important is that our words and our actions coincide. Whoever maintains the coherence between his theoretical approach to morality and his personal life is someone of integrity.
Photos: Fotolia - Igor Zakowski / John Takai
