Moral self-interest

The metaphor of Moral Self-Interest plays a significant role in Nurturant Parent morality, but it is subservient to and limited by the other metaphors in the system. Moreover, its application is often misunderstood. First, Moral Self-interest is often confused with Moral Self-Nurturance, which is taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others. Second, it is commonly confused with Morality As Happiness. The idea of being as happy as you can so that you can properly empathize with, and thus be nurturant toward, others is a very different idea than just seeking Self-interest, especially seeking wealth and power for their own sake. Third, the idea of maximally developing your potential so as to be able to be nurturant toward others is again a very different idea than just seeking Self-interest.

The difference can be seen in the example of becoming a doctor so as to best serve your community versus becoming a doctor just to get rich. A doctor who serves her community may happen to get rich, and a doctor who gets rich may happen to serve her community, but the difference in the nature of one's relation to one's community and to one's own sense of morality is all-important.

To someone who does not comprehend Nurturant Parent morality, Morality As Self-Nurturance, Happiness, and Self-Development might be confused with Moral Self-interest. Indeed, liberal theorists often fail to make the distinction, since they correctly see self-nurturance, happiness, and self-development as requiring protection against interference by the state. What they incorrectly infer is that self-nurturance, happiness, and self-development concern the independence and autonomy of the individual, which would make them fall under self-interest. But what is involved in such concepts is interdependence, not independence. Within a community, Morality As Nurturance requires an interdependence among community members. Similarly, all the forms of morality supporting nurturance are in the service of that interdependence, including self-nurturance, happiness, and self-development. The views of liberal theorists that these are forms of Moral Self-interest, and hence of autonomy and independence, is not true within the system of Nurturant Parent morality.

With all these constraints on the application of Moral Self-interest within Nurturant Parent morality, there is still plenty of room for its application. If one is serving the cause of nurturance in all these ways, it is fine to seek one's self-interest.

Nurturance and business

The relationship between nurturance and moral self-interest can be seen most clearly in nurturant forms of business practice. It involves the humane treatment of employees, the creation of a safe and humane workplace, social and ecological responsibility, fairness in hiring and promotion, the building of a work community, the development of excellent communication between employees and management and between the company and its customers, opportunities for employee self-development, a positive role in the larger community, scrupulous honesty, a regard for one's customers and for the public, and excellent customer service. Policies such as these have increased the productivity and success of many businesses. They are models of how Nurturant Parent morality can function to help businesses be successful and to allow owners, investors, and employees to seek their self-interest within this moral system.

Moral Self-interest does function in Nurturant Parent morality, but it has a very different meaning, all the forms of nurturance combining to shape what counts as self-interest, especially in a business context.