Do you think you're a good person?

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I try, but I don't spend too much time thinking on it. I'm more of a means to an ends type. If things are right, then I'm good.

I read an article somewhere quite a while back and I only now managed to piece together the complete scale that was given in that article, so that's why I didn't post this earlier.

That article gave information on how children develope an internal system to make judgements on ethical (or unethical) decisions. It stated that all of us basically start out with a very simple system that gets refined more and more as we mature. The article also gave a kind of scale that shows the developement and the refinement of the average ethical belief system. The same steps that are identified in this scale can also be used ton analyze and evaluate the decisions a person is making.

To help understanding the scale, let me give you an example of a situation where the scale can be applied quite easily. Let's say that somebody finds himself/herself in a situation from that he/she can draw a substantial gain, e.g. finding a wellfilled purse someone else lost. However, this person decides to forfeit that gain and do something else instead that does not comprise a comparable gain, in this case returning the purse to its owner instead of keeping the money for himself/herself.

Now there is a number of possible ways in which that person may explain this decision. I will sort them in the order in which children develope those explanations, which means that the most refined one will be the last I list.

1. I didn't do it( that is, I didn't keep the money) because I don't want to get punished.
2. I didn't do it because I want to get the reward.
3. I didn't do it because I want people to like me.
4. I didn't do it because it would have been against the law. (Does not fully fit here, I know.)
5. I didn't do it because I wouldn't want other people to behave towards me in that way.
6. I didn't do it because it wouldn't have been right, no matter what anyone else says.

Most adults move somewhere between #3 and #5 most of the time; #6 is very rarely reached by anyone. I'd say that most of my decisions figure somewhere a bit closer to #5 than to #4.

Hope this is interesting for some of you.

Well, if by "good" one means "nice" then no, not always. I don't think being nice has much value. Being gracious, yes. Being civil, yes. But I don't care for being nice to niceness' sake. It's just BS.

But in terms of decency, or compassion, or living by altruistic principles, then yes, that is who I am. I'm a Aspie. I'm wired toward more egalitarian thinking. I care deeply about fairness, truthfulness and respecting others' dignity, rights and personhood. And I do live by those principles, and if I fail those principles, it bothers me a great deal. Other people who know me see me as a truthful person and someone who lives by my principles. But I think a lot of that has to do with being an Aspie. I don't know how anyone could really be an Aspie and not be very driven by principles like these. When I was dx'd, a "strong sense of fairness and truthfulness" was considered a defining Aspie trait, but these days any teenager with low self-esteem or run-of-the-mill psychopath can get a AS dx it seems, so I guess the "experts" don't think it's that important anymore.

Well, don't know how creditable all this is, but I'd say I waver between #5 and #6. I can't say #4 because I have broken the law when I thought it was ethically necessary and I would do so again. But I have definintely done or not done something simply becuase I held strongly it was the right thing to do. And I've dealt with the consequences of those choices and I have to say, I'll still do again if the situation arises. I'm a person of priniciple, for better or for worse. I think my life in this world would be a lot easier if I wasn't so principled, I confess, but I don't think I can change.

My attempts to be good externally has made me bad internally.

I try...some might consider me "nuetral"

I try to be a good person but it seems every time I try, people think I want something in return (which I don't).

Since I gave a shoebox for operation christmas child, yes I'm a good person

Definitely I think I am good. My intentions are always good, but sometimes other people take me the wrong way. What you define as good though? I would never deliberately hurt someone or cause harm. I don't speak about people derogatorily behind their backs like most NTs do in a gossipy way. However, I have upset people without realising. I can be very naughty but only within the boundaries of my own morals which may not necessarily be the same as most peoples I am a very open minded person .

I'm a very good person and it takes a wise person to actually see that in me.