Morality vs. Ethical Decision Making
Differentiating Between Personal Moral Standards and Ethics is Critical for Professionals
The NAADAC Recovery for a Lifetime conference will be held in Overland Park, Kan., from August 28-31, 2008. The author of this article, Anne Hatcher, will be one of the featured speakers on Ethics. For more information on the conference, please visit www.naadac.org
Anne S Hatcher, EdD, CAC III, NCAC II
Chair of the NAADAC Ethics Committee
When providing counseling to another, those working in the mental health disciplines have agreed that client’s interests and needs are primary. The role of the counselor is to provide a safe place where the client can disclose information related to the problem at hand, to discuss the information and to gain insight. Some types of counseling, such as addiction counseling, also involve directing or supporting behavioral change or education so the client is able to make an informed choice. One counselor/ educator noted that counselors must become comfortable with being accountable to anyone over the age of two. In other words, questioning and evaluating their own actions and being open to the questions of others.
"Without clearly defined standards, one might practice selective morality based on what is convenient and what feels good to do at the time."Ignorance of the standards of practice and the code of ethics is no excuse for poor choices. If one is a counselor, one is expected to know and practice accordingly. All too often morality and personal moral standards are confused with ethical standards.
Morality reflects the set of standards a group or person has adopted to determine what is right and wrong. On the basis of those standards, specific behaviors are labeled as good and others are labeled as bad. With age and experience the standards of morality are modified on the basis of experience, new information and changing beliefs. Thus one’s moral standards include cognitive, developmental and social experiences. (Freeman, 2000)
When a behavior is reported or observed, the person or group learning of the behavior typically thinks of what he/she would do in a similar situation and on that basis makes a judgment as to its correctness. Those of us working in the helping professions assume that each counselor has a standard of personal morality and ethical conduct that can be relied upon to serve the best interests of the client and the profession. We also assume that people have common sense and will make wise decisions that would resemble those we would make. Without clearly defined standards, one might practice selective morality based on what is convenient and what feels good to do at the time.
Often when one is confronted with a situation where a behavior is questioned, the behavior is described as ethical or unethical. The judgment is being made on the basis of the individual’s morals unless the behavior is being evaluated on the basis of a specific code of ethics. The NAADAC Code of Ethics was written to govern the conduct of its members. The Code of Ethics reflects ideals of NAADAC and its members. Every member of NAADAC has signed a statement that she/he would follow the standards found in the NAADAC Code of Ethics. When an ethics complaint is filed with NAADAC, it is evaluated by consulting the NAADAC Code of Ethics.
Ethical decisions involve making a choice between two or more rights. (Kidder, 1995) If the decision is based on a situation that is clearly defined by the NAADAC Code of Ethics, the resolution might be fairly simple. If the decision involves a situation that is not clearly addressed in the ethical standards, the action taken will be based on the values of the individuals(s) involved, society and the overall impact of the action. Resolution of an ethical dilemma places the counselor in a difficult situation; resolution is based on determining which side is the nearest right for the circumstance. It also involves thinking through the situation and the action chosen to determine that the counselor can provide good reasons for the choice. Citing standards from a code of ethics to support a choice is essential when supporting one’s action relating to an ethical dilemma.
When faced with the need to make a decision, a counselor might cringe when the right action means doing something that is uncomfortable or that deprives her/him of what is wanted. A code of ethics provides at least some rules for guidance, but temptation is everywhere. There are the gray areas in which a case can be made for the action taken because there are no clear answers. Some common rationale for decisions and actions include the following:
- Everybody does that sometimes
- People do worse things than that
- Nobody is perfect
- It will be better in the long run
- It is not such a big deal
Ethical dilemmas challenge us every day as addiction-focused professionals. If you have any thoughts please share them with me. I can be reached at hatchera@mscd.edu.