Ethics As Explained By Robert J. Sternberg

The choice to have a child is life changing. Parents are given nine months to prepare for their lives to change completely. All of a sudden they are not the only person they are responsible for. Reitha and Ken Lakeberg’s circumstance was a bit more complex than the usual change in responsibilities. Instead of the one child to make decisions for, there were two, and they happened to be conjoined. Instead of having to consent for one baby they had two. This is the first ethical issue in this story. Autonomy is the right to make decisions for yourself, although with children the informed consent has to come from their parents. Yes it makes sense that children do not always fully understand and need guidance from parents. But when it is a life or death situation and there is no way to tell what they want circumstances become complicated. What gives parents or doctors the right to decide which twin should try to be saved and which twin should be sacrificed. “Mercifully, Reitha and Ken had been spared a Sophie’s Choice of selecting which of their offspring would die. Doctors made the decision strictly on medical grounds—which twin had the

My ethics have been formed over a lifetime of experiences. Because of these experiences and my personal beliefs, I use my rationality to decide what my duties are. I believe that each individual is independently responsible for their own morals. This corresponds with my personal preferred lens which is rights and responsibility. When faced with adversity, I use my practical nature to determine the best course of action. I want to ensure I have examined all angles and outcomes prior to making a

Decision-making in the field of psychology refers to a cognitive process that results in a selection among multiple possible solutions in a situation (Colman, 2008). Decision-making is based on available information from the environment as well as intrinsic information and existing schemas (Rogerson, Gottlieb, Handelsman, Knapp & Younggren, 2011). These internal schemas, along with knowledge and personal preferences, influence the decision-making process. Ethical decision-making differs from "normal" decision-making in that ethical standards influence the decision maker 's choice (Rogerson et al., 2011). Numerous professions and organization adhere to some form of ethical standards including business,

Many decisions involve a considerable amount of contemplation and reasoning. These decisions include the ethical dilemmas we encounter every day on an individual and global scale, such as contemplating whether capital punishment is just or unjust. Ethics is often confused with factors that are not cohesive with our true self but that are induced from society. Ethics is not feelings, religion, science, or following the law and cultural norm. Ethics is, however, a set of moral behaviors that tell us what is right and wrong in different situations. Through writings such as The Apology by Plato and Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu we are can more clearly get a picture of what it means to be ethical and how to respond to ethical dilemmas.

Making sound ethical decisions require an intentional process that utilizes thoughtful reflection, supervision/consultation, and action. Many ethical decision making models exist and the seven-step model introduced by Forester-Miller and Davis (1996) is a succinct amalgamation of these earlier models. The model by Forester-Miller and Davis (1996) follows seven progressive steps: (a) identify the problem, (b) apply the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), (c) determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma, (d) generate potential courses of action, (e) consider the potential consequences of all options and determine a course of action, (f) evaluate the selected course of action, and (g) implement the course of action.

It is important to understand that ethics is not equal to personal emotions. Therefore, ethical decision making should be void of personal feelings. Moreover, an ethical action is that which protects and respect the moral perspectives of those affected. Indeed, ethical approaches help to determine the standards of behavior that constitute a common good for the human

In order to make ethical decisions, it is helpful to think about several questions, including: 1) who will be impacted by the decision, 2) who will benefit from the decision, and 3) who will suffer from the decision.

An ethical decision-making model is a method that therapists use to help guide them when they face decisions that may not have an easy solution. The authors of The Practitioner’s Guide to Ethical Decision Making was created to help members of the American Counseling Association in establishing the correct strategy to use when faced with a challenging decision regarding an ethical issue (“American Counseling Association”, 2016)

When we make a decision, we determine whether something is morally or immoral based on our personal VABES. There may be nothing ethically wrong with the situation but a person may feel that it is goes against their personal morally values based on their personal VABES. Ethics are established based on acceptable behaviors for groups and individuals (Clawson, 2012). People base what they consider to be ethical off of their VABES and understanding of what is right and wrong. A person determines whether an act is ethical based off their values and beliefs that they have developed a for a lifetime. When making any decision the person must have a clear understanding of whether not it is an ethical or non-ethical decision and if it goes against their beliefs. Legality is another important part of decision-making any concerns individuals abiding by laws put in place by society (Clawson, 2012). Whether something is legal or illegal is very important when making a decision. When a person finds it unethical or morally wrong to commit an illegal act is based off their VABES. In any decision, a person must consider whether an act or decision will go against their ethical beliefs. They must also consider whether it is important and matches their personal

This is something I learned in the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). We were placed in scenarios which made us make ethical decisions. It did not matter how we reacted, but be able to explain your though process leading you to your outcome. If it was all wrong, it would be explained to you why and some ways to prevent negative outcomes. Of course some of these dilemmas were based on different cultural beliefs.

Making decisions of what is right and what is wrong is in our everyday life (A. Puente, personal communication, November 17, 2015). Deciding what is right and what is wrong can be simple or it can be difficult. It may be related to individual context or multiple contexts in general. Ethical decisions should concern all levels of our lives, as in acting properly as individuals, creating responsible organizations and governments, and making our society as a whole more ethical (Brown University, 2013).

An ethical dilemma is an incident that causes us to question how we should react based on our beliefs. A decision needs to be made between right and wrong. I have experienced many ethical dilemmas in my lifetime, so I know that there is no such thing as an ethical dilemma that only affects one person. I also know that some ethical dilemmas are easier to resolve than others are. The easy ones are the ones in which we can make decisions on the spot. For example, if a cashier gives me too much change, I can immediately make a decision to either return the money or keep it. Based on Kant’s, categorical imperative there are two criteria for determining moral right and wrong. First, there is universalizability, which states, “the person’s

Everyday life involves ethical and emotional choices. Ethical decisions are not always easy to make, and sometimes the right thing to do at the moment may not correspond with one’s emotional needs. For example, facing an ethical choice to save just one life in a building on fire among a gorilla who has a gene that was never seen before and may unlock the secrets to all diseases we know, a biologist who is at the point of curing cancer, and my own mother it ca be very challenging. From ethical point of view, I would save the biologist who is at the point to discover the cure for cancer.

Making consistently ethical decisions is difficult. Most decisions have to be made in the context of economic, professional and social pressures, which can sometimes challenge our ethical goals and conceal or confuse the moral issues. In addition, making ethical choices is complex because in many situations there are a multitude of competing interests and values. Other times, crucial facts are unknown or ambiguous. Since many actions are likely to benefit some people at the expense of others, the decision maker must prioritize competing moral claims and must be proficient at predicting the likely consequences of various choices. An ethical person often chooses to do more than the law requires and less than the law allows.

Ford and Richardson (1994) the model of ethical decision-making is generally detached by individual factors and situational factors, which in situational factors is the most important.