CSE 4203

Professionalism and Ethics

Presented By

Tanjina Oriana
Objective
• This course is intended to contribute to the ethical development of
the professional. Issues pertaining to legal responsibilities,
professional ethical standards and general professional conduct in
contemporary society are considered.
• This course is intended to acquaint the participant with the content
of the Code of Ethics of the AAMFT, the process of ethical decisional
making and, hence, to contribute to the overall ethical development
of the professional.
• Issues pertaining to legal responsibilities and liabilities, professional
ethical standards and general professional conduct in contemporary
society will be considered.
Outcome
1. Be able to distinguish among morals, values, ethics, and the law and
to explore how they each impacts professional practice

2. Have an increased personal understanding of issues related to ethics

and the law with professional environment;

3. Be able to examine one’s own ethical decision-making processes and

develop guidelines for enhancing one’s ability to generate ethical
behaviors and solutions to conflicts arising in the service.
Contents
Relationship between business and society; Ethics and Capitalism;
Identifying stakeholders and issues Stakeholder Relations and Analysis;
Ethical reasoning;
Regulating Business Ownership and Governance of Corporation; Ethics
in the Workplace and Marketplace; ethics of other professions;
Ethics of several major professions: Business Ethics, Media Ethics,
Police Ethics, Medical Ethics, Legal Ethics, and Research Ethics;
Nature of a profession; Professional codes of ethics; Confidentiality;
Whistle-blowing; Responsibility of business to the environment; Uses
and abuses of human research, and animal ethics in research
Reference Books
1) John Rowan & Samuel Zinaich. Ethics for the Professions. Jnr.
Wadsworth. 2003.
2) Professionalism and Ethics – Custom. McGraw-Hill.
The Trolly Problem
1.01 Morals

Moral values are relative values that protect life Examples:

and are respectful of the dual life value of self
and others. The great moral values, such as ● Do not vandalize property
truth, freedom, charity, etc., have one thing in ● Do not cheat
common. When they are functioning correctly, ● Have courage
they are life protecting or life enhancing for all. ● Keep your promises
But they are still relative values. Our relative ● Treat others as you want to be treated
moral values must be constantly examined to ● Do not judge
make sure that they are always performing their ● Respect others
life-protecting mission.
1.02 Values

“A value is defined as a principle that promotes well-being or prevents harm.”

Personal values are defined as: — “Emotional beliefs in principles regarded as
particularly favorable or important for the individual.” Our values associate
emotions to our experiences and guide our choices, decisions and actions.

“Values are the scales we use.”

Dr. Abraham Maslow illustrated this
with his hierarchy of human needs.
● Survival has a higher priority
than security, which has a
higher priority than social
acceptance.
● Self-esteem can only be
addressed to the degree that
social acceptance is fulfilled.
● Self-actualization can only be
pursued to the degree that self-
esteem has been satisfied.
1.03 Reticular Activating System

● Physiologists have identified the parts of the human brain that are
involved in producing behavior in accordance with beliefs and values.
All information collected by human senses is passed through a net-
like group of cells, known as the Reticular Activating System (RAS),
located near the top of the brain stem.
● The RAS compares the data received with accepted values, positive
and negative (threats), and beliefs stored in memory and determines
whether or not immediate action is required. The results of the RAS‘s
comparison are communicated to the amygdala near the midbrain.
1.04 Types of Values

The five core human values are:

● Right conduct
● Peace
● Truth
● Love
● Non-violence
1.04 Types of Values (Continued)

Values related to Right Conduct are:

● Self-Help Skills: Care of possessions, diet, hygiene, modesty, posture,
self reliance, and tidy appearance
● Social Skills: Good behavior, good manners, good relationships,
helpfulness, No wastage, and good environment
● Ethical Skills: Code of conduct, courage, dependability, duty,
efficiency, ingenuity, initiative, perseverance, punctuality,
resourcefulness, respect for all, and responsibility.
1.04 Types of Values (Continued)

Values related to Peace are:

Attention, calmness, concentration, contentment, dignity, discipline,
equality, equanimity, faithfulness, focus, gratitude, happiness, harmony,
humility, inner silence, optimism, patience, reflection, satisfaction, self
acceptance, self-confidence, self-control, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-
respect, sense control, tolerance, and understanding.
1.04 Types of Values (Continued)

Values related to Truth are:

Accuracy, curiosity, discernment, fairness, fearlessness, honesty, integrity
(unity of thought, word, and deed), intuition, justice, optimism, purity,
quest for knowledge, reason, self-analysis, sincerity, spirit of enquiry,
synthesis, trust, truthfulness, and determination.
1.04 Types of Values (Continued)

Values related to Love are:

Acceptance, affection, care, compassion, consideration, dedication,
devotion, empathy, forbearance, forgiveness, friendship, generosity,
gentleness, humanness, interdependence, kindness, patience, patriotism,
reverence, sacrifice, selflessness, service, sharing, sympathy,
thoughtfulness, tolerance and trust.
1.04 Types of Values (Continued)

Values related to Non-violence are:

● Psychological: Benevolence, compassion, concern for others,
consideration, forbearance, forgiveness, manners, happiness, loyalty,
morality, and universal love.
● Social: Appreciation of other cultures and religions, brotherhood, care
of environment, citizenship, equality, harmlessness, national
awareness, perseverance, respect for property, and social justice.
1.05 Evolution of Human Values

The human values evolve because of the following factors:

● The impact of norms of the society on the fulfillment of the individual‘s
needs or desires.
● Developed or modified by one‘s own awareness, choice, and judgment in
fulfilling the needs.
● By the teachings and practice of Preceptors (Gurus) or Saviors or
religious leaders.
● Fostered or modified by social leaders, rulers of kingdom, and by law
(government).
A person who knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses
right is moral. A person whose morality is reflected in his willingness to do
the right thing – even if it is hard or dangerous – is ethical. “Ethics are moral
values in action”. Being ethical is important because morality protects life and
is respectful of others – all others.
1.06 Ethics

The word Ethics used to mean “morally correct”. The study on ethics helps to know the
people‘s beliefs, values, and morals, learn the good and bad of them, and practice
them to maximize their well-being and happiness. It involves the inquiry on the existing
situations, form judgments and resolve the issues. In addition, ethics tells us how to
live, to respond to issues, through the duties, rights, responsibilities, and obligations. In
religion, similar principles are included, but the reasoning on procedures is limited. The
principles and practices of religions have varied from to time to time (history), region
(geography, climatic conditions), religion, society, language, caste and creed. But ethics
has grown to a large extent beyond the barriers listed above. In ethics, the focus is to
study and apply the principles and practices, universally.
Introduction to Ethics

● Examine the subject matter of ethics

● Distinguish between moral subjectivism and moral realism
● Examine the ‘is-ought’ problem
● Look at the difference between teleological and deontological
theories of ethics.
“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.” - Albert
Camus
What is Ethics?

“[Ethics] is a study of what are good and bad ends to pursue in life and what
it is right and wrong to do in the conduct of life. It is therefore, above all, a
practical discipline. Its primary aim is to determine how one ought to live
and what actions one ought to do in the conduct of one’s life.” (Introduction
to Ethics, John Deigh)

Morality - “standards of right and wise conduct whose authority in practical

thought is determined by reason rather than custom.” (John Deigh)
What is Ethics? (Continued)

Ethics is a normative discipline because ethics is concerned with

prescribing action (not describing action), it is said to be concerned with
the normative realm.

● What makes actions moral, in other words good or bad, right or

wrong?
● Why should one behave in accordance with an ethical theory?
Is morality objective?

● Do moral judgements have a truth value? (i.e. Can they be

determined to be true or false?)
● Moral Subjectivism: Moral judgements reflect personal
preference/opinions/attributes.
● Moral Realism: Moral judgements can be true or false and are made
by objective features of the world.
Teleological vs Deontological Theories of Ethics

“The first kind [of theory] asserts that the morality, or the immorality, of an
act (and hence the rightness or wrongness of an act) is a function solely of
the consequences of the act and the natural tendency of those
consequences to produce pleasure or pain, or goodness, or happiness, in
some degree and in some way. Any such theory we call a consequentialist or
a teleological theory. The second kind of theory asserts that the morality or
the immorality of an act has basically nothing to do with the consequences
of the act. This latter kind of theory we call deontological.” (Human
Happiness and Morality: A Brief Introduction to Ethics, Robert Almeder)
Teleological vs Deontological Theories of Ethics

● ‘Telos’ - Greek word for end or purpose ● ‘Deon’ - Greek word for duty
● Actions are evaluated as moral or immoral ● THe morality of an action is grounded by some
depending on whether they help or hinder in form of authority independent of the
the achievement of the chosen end consequences that such actions generate
● Egoism -> Happiness or Pleasure ● Original sources of deontological theories are
● Eudaimonism -> Well-being the Judiac and Chistian conceptions of divine
● Utilitarianism -> General good of humankind law
Socrates (Athens, 469 - 399 B.C.)
Plato (427 - 347 B.C.)
Aristotle (384 - 322 B.C.)
Modern Ethics

● Naturalism: Ethical ideas arise from natural laws.

● Intuitionism: Ethical ideas and obligations are intuitive.
○ Descartes: Truth is what can be comprehended by man.
○ Spinoza: Truth is its own creation.
Utilitarianism

The moral philosophy that emphasizes that morality of an action/decision

is determined by its consequences.
● It is a teleological theory.
● An action is considered moral and good if it results in providing
greater happiness for others, regardless of its intention
Kantianism
A moral philosophy introduced by Immanuel Kant that emphasizes that
morality of an action/decision is not determined by its consequences but
by the motivation of the doer.
● A Deontological Theory
● Action should be motivated by goodwill and duty and the morality of
an action is not measured by its consequences.
Famine, Affluence & Morality (Peter Singer)

“Everyone you’ve ever met is a morally bad person.”

● The Shallow Pond Paradox
○ Proximity -> Morally Relevant.
○ Other People.
Case Study - The Lifeboat Case