Macro level resources and confidentiality practices in social work
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Toward a hermeneutic model of ethical decision making in clinical practice.
Documented ethical violations and empirical research have demonstrated that, despite professional standards and formal training in ethical principles, some psychotherapists engage in unethical behaviors that compromise the welfare of clients. It appears that competing values and interests that emerge in the therapeutic endeavor can interfere with therapists' considerations of ethical standards and their willingness to act ethically. Expanding current models of ethical decision making, this article offers a hermeneutic model that recognizes that in addition to moral reasoning, the context of the therapeutic relationship and the therapist's subjective responses are fundamental considerations in the interpretation and application of ethical interventions. Implications for understanding and training of ethics in psychotherapy in this broader context are explored.
Willingness to apply understood ethical principles.
Recent research suggests a discrepancy between understanding vs. implementation of ethical principles. The present study investigated the relationship between decisions with regard to what "should" vs. what "would" be done in a variety of ethical conflict situations. Additionally, this research examined the influence of the degree of closeness of the respondent to the identified person-of-reference in each conflict scenario. The results strongly supported the conclusion that while professional clinicians are capable of recognizing conduct that falls below accepted ethical standards, they are less willing to follow through with required action. Restrictiveness of conflict resolution was related to both person-of-reference group and to specific ethical situation. The results are discussed in terms of attribution theory and actor-observer effects.