CONFESSING TO OTHERS: Ethical Citizenship in a Morally Ambiguous World

• In Event: 597 - Section on Altruism, Morality and Social Solidarity Paper Session. Emotion and Social Solidarity (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions)

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the The New York Times’ Ethicist column as a site of confession and social approval, analyzing the submitted letters to identify the power dynamics at play in self-identified moral / ethical dilemmas. Foucault argues that confession is one of the fundamental mechanisms of discipline and power in contemporary society. As we derive meaning and social acceptance from social institutions, priests, therapists, doctors, and teachers tell us to confess as a way to receive moral affirmation (or condemnation) of our actions. Confessing transforms us into self-reflexive agents, engaged in self-surveillance and self-discipline according to internalized social norms (Foucault 1978:61). Vocalizing transgressions of social norms positions the confessor as a socially conscionable citizen, while simultaneously reifying the power of particular social institutions and actors. With ever-increasing sites of power and confession, moral ambiguity can arise from the conflict between multiple codes of ethics (e.g., legal, medical, religious, interpersonal, altruistic). Specifically, I explore how confessional sites provide a forum for exploring, testing and navigating the boundaries of the normal and deviant. Ethical inquiries often seek the “higher ground”: is it OK to commit an action considered unethical in one context if it serves a higher, ethical cause? Or alternatively, is it OK to act lawfully, if the goal is to achieve immoral ends? These inquiries and discussions of what is ethical, moral, legal, healthy, or normal may reflect the ethical preoccupations of contemporary American society.

Author

• Michelle Hannah Smirnova, University of Missouri-Kansas City