Ethics Awareness Inventory
Brenda Brandmeir
PSYCH/660
January 20, 2015
Instructor: Jordan Pennefather
Ethics Awareness Inventory The Ethics Awareness Inventory (EAI) is an instrument used to establish one's different attitudes to different portions of ethical thought and behavior. According to The Williams Institute (2011), "Ethics Awareness Inventory is a powerful tool for developing ethical competency. Besides being an instructive personal ethics assessment instrument, the EAI is a practical and comprehensive ethics learning process composed of three sections: Ethical Awareness, Articulation and Application/Action". (p. 1) The EAI establishes where one focus lies among the four categories regarding character, obligation,
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From job-related experiences, when I am placed into situations with individuals who have different ethics from me, I cautiously take steps to determine ethical dilemmas choices without violating the rights or opinions of all involved. In addition, the experiences working with teams at work, have taught me to carefully view the opinions of others before entering into open disagreement over a given course of action. I strongly believe, apart from the ethical position,. an individual has his or her individual right to express their opinion. The results of my EAI, combined with my experiences throughout school and work, have educated me that all ethical decisions require cautious thought. I firmly believe, in order to achieve the best results, one needs to take numerous factors including but limited to culture, into consideration while also allowing for future implications of any action dictated by ethical decisions I make.
Ethical Professional Behavior
The EAI indicates that ethical guidelines have changed from individual character to organizational ethics (Ethics Awareness Inventory, 2011). The prime focus of this change are client-patient relationships in psychological counseling and clinical practice (Fisher, (2013). Psychological counseling and clinical practice are both constructed on ethical guidelines with the possibility for misuse of power and negligence to discretion (Fisher,
Casse, P. (2014d). The new drivers of leadership. Training Journal, p. 30. Retrieved from academicguides.walden.edu/library
Ethics refers to behaviors, practices, and decisions that address three basic and fundamental questions: What is the right thing to do? What is worth doing? What does it mean to be a good behavior analyst (Cooper, 2007)?
The Individual Ethics Awareness Inventory examines which of four different components is the most critical in an individual's ethical position: character, obligation, results, and equity (CORE). When a person makes a decision or analyzes a scenario, their personal ethical perspective helps determine how they approach the issue. When character is the most important issue, the person's ethical perspective s based upon what it is good to be, rather than what it is good to do (Brody, 2007). People who emphasize character believe that moral excellence is the goal, and that judging morality involves looking beyond actions and examining character (Brody, 2007). When obligation is the most important issue, the person is focused upon the obligation to do what is morally correct (Brody, 2007). People who focus on obligation believe that a set of identifiable ethical principles, involving universality and a respect for human dignity, drive the decision-making process (Brody, 2007). When results are most important, the individual does not examine the motivations of the actors, but the results of the actions (Brody, 2007). Finally, when a person is based in equity, they are looking for stability (Brody, 2007). This stability refers to stability in results, rather than actions, because people with an equitable perspective believe that no set decision will be appropriate in all scenarios (Brody, 2007).
The American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, and other professional mental health associations affirm that counselors should be aware of the prevailing community standards and of the possible impact on their practice of deviation from these standards. Ethical standards are created to help professionals identify ethical issues in practice and provide guidelines to determine what is ethically acceptable and unacceptable behavior (Reamer, 1998). Ethical issues are frequently intertwined, which makes it imperative that counselors not only follow the codes of ethics of their profession but that they also know their state ¡ ¦s laws and their legal boundaries and responsibilities. For counselors, a thorough grounding in
Ethics is important to everyone for the society as a whole. Whether it is in a person’s professional career or personal life, ethics and morals play an important role. The key to an organization’s success is the way they handle business ethically. Although it is not always simple to do the right thing, it is something that must be done. Conducting an Ethics Awareness Inventory is a way someone can learn how they as individuals see ethics; what is important to them the most, and what is important to them the least. I completed this inventory, and will discuss how it relates to my
The APA code of ethics is a formidable resource for addressing professional ethics, code 2, competence; psychological professionals providing services will practice within the boundaries of their education and training (APA, 2005). Maintaining competence represents code 2.03, this ethical code requires that the practitioner continue their competencies with continuing education, seminars or remaining current with professional psychology peer groups (APA, 2005). Code 3.10 Informed consent and 3.06 Conflict of interest, are vital to I/O psychologists, there can be a confusion when working with individuals as to crossing a line of informed consent and conflict of interest (APA, 2016). Employees may feel a level of confidentiality
This psych article explains how the evolution of ethical guidelines has brought guidance for the psychologists during their studies. Authors, Morgan and Carroll say “the evolution of ethical guidelines advocates for the continuing role of psychologists in the provision of consultation to help ensure safe, legal, ethical, and effective operations” (1). This article also lists five ethical guidelines and principles that most psychologists also follow. These guidelines include beneficence and no maleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, and respect for people’s rights and dignity. When it comes to beneficence and no maleficence psychologists ensure that their work minimizes any harm.
The following is a code of ethics designed and written for those who intend on entering the counseling profession. The work of counselors varies from educational, to scientific, to professional (American Mental Health Counselor Association, 2015). Underling all work is a dedication to serving and empowering individuals and communities. Part of this dedication is observed by adhering to the rigorous ethical standards outlined below. The basic objectives of this code are to: promote client autonomy and diversity, avoid maleficence, uphold justice, fidelity, and veracity, and resolve ethical ambiguities (American Counseling Association, 2014).
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge (Sixth Edition ed.). Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
At some point in counseling, counselors will be faced with the decision to proceed in an ethical manner when situations arise. In spite of personal opinions, the use of ethical practice provides guidance, balance, and integrity in the counseling field. The use of the Gallagher survey reported deficiencies in counseling practice centers “between 1986 and 2008 where a total of 86 counseling centers had been the target of at least one lawsuit or another legal challenge due to unethical practices” (Affsprung, 2010, p. 133). In the counseling practice, Therapists can seek to gratify themselves when helping others rather than choosing to operate within a professional standard of boundaries. Therefore, adhering to ethics is vital in counseling because they provide the structural process in “defining the profession in a changing world that unifies therapists, gives methodologies for practice, and extends and invitation for therapist to work together while providing the very best care for clients” (Hendricks, 2008, p. 259 ).
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge (Sixth ed.). Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
The Ethics Awareness Inventory asks a series of questions and through that makes me aware of my own ethical values. The inventory made me more aware of the fact that I respect people according to their character and consider effort to be as important as talent, if not more so. I also consider other aspects such as integrity, loyalty, authenticity, tolerance, and genuineness to be important traits. All of these are important characteristics in a business sense when dealing with both stakeholders and employees. I eschew cant, but at the same time I realize that ethics must be based on a practical, rather than idealistic, basis for it to realistically translate itself to business concerns. It is in this way that my perceptions have changed through the program, as I realize that whilst it is important for the business person to be ethical and in a way one can best succeed if one were ethical this system of ethics depends on time and place as well as employees and stakeholders for each situation seems to warrant its own judgment and decision-making stance.
& Curtis, K. (n.d.). The Art of Leadership. 5th edition. McGraw Hill Education. 15-98. Retrieved from https://www.betheluniversityonline.net/cps/default.aspx?SectionID=4868&tabid=154#3
To reconcile personal ethical conflicts with an organizational cultures and values, individual must indicate where they stand regarding personal ethics. My personal reconciliation of moral conflict is inspired by my upbringing, my church, academic, professional communities, and the genetic attributes I inherited from my parents. Ethics in Decision Making (2016) measure individual ethical conflicts with an organization, and found behavior is assessed through actions and words, but there is no way to know personal thoughts.
When ethics are disregarded, a professional within the field may jeopardize their career, in addition to, possibly endangering a client. It is imperative that a psychologist is aware of the code to ethics to not only protect his or her position, but to also operate in a manner that promotes safety, rectitude, and quintessence of well-being. During my time in the field, I have encountered many ethical dilemmas, however the instance that stands out most was an predicament I experienced in an