People Who Are Morally & Ethically Weak Usually Say 10 Phrases In Casual Conversation
daniel9625 / Shutterstock When a person's morals and values are shaky, their behavior is likely to show a serious lack of ethics as well. Morally and ethically weak people don't give much thought to the concepts of right and wrong, so the rules and standards they hold themselves to in regard to how they treat others are typically at a pretty low bar.
If someone's moral and ethical compass is flawed, they will say some specific phrases in their casual conversations that are meant to manipulate others and make themselves appear beyond reproach. After all, when someone has no idea what they stand for or why, they have no reason to bother pushing themselves to be vulnerable or give consideration to what's best for anyone but themselves.
Morally and ethically weak people usually say these extremely specific phrases when they're talking to you
1. ‘Everyone else is doing it’
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We often think of peer pressure as something teenagers do at school, or as something kids are most at risk for, but plenty of adults still find themselves engaging in it. If someone lacks strong ethics, they'll frequently pressure people into doing things they don't want to do at their own expense, hoping the other person will feel more and more comfortable making poor decisions and indulging in unhealthy vices so they can do the same without guilt.
A weak person may encourage their usually frugal friend to overspend on something they don’t need so that they don't have to hear that friend's judgmental comments when they buy something they can't afford themselves. It's a shady way of catching someone in the same poor habits they know they would be better off avoiding.
2. ‘I’m not trying to spread rumors, but…’
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Even if their inner voice might be telling them that what they’re doing is wrong, morally and ethically weak people can’t help but partake in gossip. They love to spread rumors about other people because, if they spoke about themselves, they'd have to risk exposing themselves for who they really are.
People like this invest more time and effort into seeking out the juiciest gossip so they can avoid spending time trying to figure out who they are or what they believe is truly important. Not only is this a clear sign that someone's moral compass is skewed, but also that their own sense of self is confused and uncertain.
3. ‘That’s not my issue’
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Even when they didn’t mean to hurt someone or cause an issue, people who are secure in their values apologize for their missteps and support people in need. Regardless of intent, they don't run from accountability, unlike weak people who are only worried about their own comfort and artificial image.
If someone is constantly spewing justifications for poor behavior by saying phrases like “that’s not my issue” when someone asks for their help, their moral compass is off. They only work in favor of their own convenience, and they couldn't care less about things like empathy or personal responsibility.
4. ‘I can’t help it’
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The feigned helplessness and passivity of a truly weak person is impossible for a mature person to replicate. They spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to paint themselves as a helpless victim, but only when it works in their favor. They'll often say they couldn't help it after mistreating someone or being dishonest, denying any agency over their behavior.
This kind of learned helplessness might be a passive response to trauma or stress, but it only keeps people stuck. When someone feels like they have no control over their own lives, they try to control others and gain enough attention to distract themselves and everyone else from their clear lack of an inner guiding light and voice.
5. ‘It was just a joke’
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If they can find a route away from accountability, most morally weak people will take it. They’ll call people names behind closed doors and say all sorts of hurtful things, then later deny every saying it or claiming it was just a joke in an effort to avoid accountability.
When a person has no morals or ethics to guide them, they're not going to be afraid to gaslight someone if they think it will protect them from being seen as a bad person. It’s really their own comfort they care about the most.
6. ‘I didn’t technically lie’
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Morally and ethically weak people are all about the technicalities. They don’t care to empathize with others or consider how their actions may have hurt people. It’s easier for them to justify it all away and invalidate how the other person is feeling.
They want to be the victim in order to develop a social narrative that feels comfortable to them. Despite constantly being deceitful, with no true moral compass to guide their behaviors, they expect everyone else to sweep any concerns or hurt feelings under the rug.
7. ‘I don’t make the rules’
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There are plenty of things about our society that are inherently flawed. There are many genuinely unfair and even harmful aspects of workplace culture and stereotypes, for example, that can give bad people an out for their bad behavior.
Someone with strong morals also often has a strong sense of empathy and justice. They push back against the parts of society that hurt people more than they help. However, someone with a weaker sense of integrity uses them to their advantage, claiming victim status or citing barriers to advocacy as an excuse to do whatever they want.
8. ‘They deserved it’
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Empathetic people find ways to offer grace and compassion whenever possible, even to people who did them wrong and don’t necessarily deserve it. They try to see things from the perspective of the co-worker who undermined them in their lunch meeting because they’re driven by a strong moral compass, not insecurity and shame.
Someone with little integrity and few ethical guidelines is more likely to find any excuse they can to treat people badly. The moment they see someone do something the tiniest bit wrong, they'll log it as an excuse they can pull out later to say they deserved whatever they decide to do to them.
9. ‘I never said that’
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When making excuses or trying to invalidate another person’s point doesn’t work, people without morals or ethics start leaning into manipulative tactics like gaslighting and denying reality. Nothing is too hurtful if it means they can avoid accountability and shame for their actions.
Much like narcissistic people are driven by insecurity, these people are driven by a need to cope with their inner chaos. They don’t know how to control themselves, so they need to control others, even if that means boldly lying about never saying something they absolutely said.
10. ‘I’m just a realist’
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Being a realist is supposed to mean simply seeing the world for what it really is, including all of its injustice and flaws. However, someone with weak morals tweaks that definition and claims to be a realist as an excuse for being a chronically negative, entitled person.
If they can get out of being blamed for harming people, they will, even if it means invalidating someone's accurate perception of them in order to accomplish that.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
