Etiquette

Etiquette fundamentally prescribes and restricts the ways in which people interact with each other, and show their respect for other people by conforming to the norms of society. Modern Western etiquette instructs us to: greet friends and acquaintances with warmth and respect, refrain from insults and prying curiosity, offer hospitality equally and generously to our guests, wear clothing suited to the occasion, contribute to conversations without dominating them, offer a chair or a helping arm to those who need assistance, eat neatly and quietly, avoid disturbing others with loud music or unnecessary noise, follow the established rules of a club or legislature upon becoming a member, arrive promptly when expected, comfort the bereaved, and respond to invitations promptly.

Violations of etiquette, if severe, can cause public disgrace, and in private hurt individual feelings, create misunderstandings or real grief and pain, and can even escalate into murderous rage. Many family feuds have their beginnings in trivial etiquette violations that were blown up out of proportion. One can reasonably view etiquette as the minimal politics required to avoid major conflict in polite society, and as such, an important aspect of applied ethics. An etiquette is sometimes considered to reflect the underlying ethical code itself.

Code of Ethics:

Ethical codes are specialized and written into specific “codes of ethics.” Such codes exist in most professions to guide interactions between specialists with advanced knowledge, e.g. architects, interior designers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, stonemasons, and the general public.

Since the public cannot usually tell good from bad decisions, ethical codes are normally part of a profession's own self-regulation.

Click here to read the Architectural Code of Ethics

Click here to read the Interior Design Code of Ethics

Click here to read the American Subcontractors Association Model Code of Ethics