Name: Trisha Faye Y.

Pasay______________ Section: BSN 2-A_______________

Activity No. 1
THINKING EXERCISE: Trisha Dilemma (AN IDEA ON MORAL REASONING)

INSTRTUCTION: Use the power of your introspection and present in detail ONE individual or personal
moral dilemma (like Heinz dilemma) on which you are going to lay down the possible choices or
alternatives in solving the moral dilemma. Afterwards, affirm the final CHOICE you select, identify the
particular stage of Moral Development according to Kohlberg. Explain or give reasons why (MORAL
REASONING). Submit in PDF format as attached file. Below is only a format you can have your style of
formatting as long as you the sequence.

PERSONAL DILEMMA:
Recently, within the past year, I was faced with a personal dilemma, which forced me to choose
between continuing my study or delaying it for a year. Personally, I was hesitating to enroll, considering
that the COVID-19 outbreak will force schools to shift into online classes. I followed my parents and
relatives’ advice to enroll because the school year would be in vain, so I applied to several universities so
that I could have many choices as to where I am going to take up college. Since I came from a less
privileged family and I only have my aunt as my financial benefactor, I had to consider the university
wherein I could apply for academic scholarship. I have gone through five university websites and was
anxiously awaiting the responses. The first university to respond to my admission application is UCLM. I
passed the interview and was accepted however the application for scholarship was already closed.
Shortly after tentatively accepting the first offer, a second one comes in. The UCB had responded to my
admission application, and I’ve gone through the interview, and I had been accepted as well. Since classes
haven’t started at that time, I face an ethical dilemma: Decline the second offer because I have already
accepted the first or accept the second offer.

POSSIBLE CHOICES:
1. Continue with the first offer since its nearer to my grandmother’s house and decline the second offer
2. Accept the second offer since I can apply for scholarship and decline the first offer
3. Leave the decision to my parents and aunt since they are the ones who will support me financially
4. Decline both offer and wait for other universities to respond

MORAL REASONING (explanation of your choice)

The choice I made was choice number 2. I accepted the second offer and politely declined the first
offer as well as explaining to them the reason behind my enrollment withdrawal. I followed the due
process in withdrawing my enrollment and I was able to proceed with my enrollment in UC-Banilad. There
is something to be said, ethically, to living up to your word and staying with the first acceptance. It does
reflect a sense of honesty and personal responsibility. Conversely, I believe there’s nothing wrong with
accepting the second offer as long as the reasons are explained to the first offer. They have a right to
know why I changed my mind. It may help them in the admission process going forward. In this case, it’s
not so much what my decision is but how I explain it that counts. I have a responsibility to inform the first
university because it made an offer and failing to inform them means an opening that would otherwise
be closed is open because I plan to renege on the offer. In light of this, I am probably at the conventional
level of moral development Stage 4: Law and Order Orientation. In stage four, one accepts rules and
convention because of their importance in maintaining a functioning society. Rules are seen as being the
same for everyone, and obeying rules by doing what one is supposed to do is seen as valuable and
important. Moral reasoning in stage four is thus beyond the need for individual approval exhibited in stage
three; society must learn to transcend individual needs. A central ideal or ideals often prescribe what is
right and wrong, such as in the case of fundamentalism. If one person violates a law, perhaps everyone
would—thus there is an obligation and a duty to uphold laws and rules.