week 9: Ethics & Morals

Question 1

What is Moral Reasoning in Action?

Answer 1

Moral reasoning is individual or collective practical reasoning about what, morally, one ought to do (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007)
- Ethical principles are used during moral reasoning
- Morals are about what is right and good as considered by most people. These are written into standards like a code of ethics.

Question 2

What is the purpose of a code of ethics?

Answer 2

1. To improve decision making in ethical concerns
2. To offer direction about which values take priority

Question 3

What are morals?

Answer 3

• Morality is about your personal standards of right and wrong.
• Morals are the rules people use to guide their behaviour – our morals are taught to us by parents and teachers and others we may hold close to us when we’re growing up.

Question 4

What are Kohlberg’s 3 basic levels of moral reason development?

Answer 4

level 1: pre-conventional morality
level 2: conventional morality
level 3: post-conventional morality

Question 5

Level 1: pre-conventional morality

Answer 5

One’s personal interest is the focus – “what is the consequence to me?”
- Obedience & punishment orientation
FOCUSING ON YOURSELF

Question 6

level 2: conventional morality

Answer 6

• More of a “group loyalty” occurs (eg. In family or school group)
• Believe that good behaviour means having good motives, love, empathy, trust, concern for others
  FAMILY, FRIENDS, COMPANY, OR GROUP THAT YOU BELONG TO

Question 7

level 3: post-conventional morality

Answer 7

• People think in more theoretical way & ask “what makes for a good society?
  LOOKING BEYOND YOURSELF AND THE GROUP

Question 8

What are the 3 aspects of nursing?

Answer 8

1. legal – what must be done
2. Practical – what can be done
3. Ethical – what should be done

Question 9

What are ethics?

Answer 9

• Is about rules of behaviour based on ideas about what is morally good and bad
• How nurses attend to ethics in carrying out their daily interactions, including how they approach their practice and reflect on their ethical commitment to the people they serve, is the substance of everyday ethics (CNA, 2008).
• Ethics is the study of the nature and justification of general ethical principles that can be applied to moral problems
  Bottom line – ethics is about moral practice, beliefs, values, ideals, attitudes, actions and standards of individuals and/or groups

Question 10

What is everyday ethics?

Answer 10

1. Adherence to best practice
2. allocation of TIME AND nursing resources when someone calls in sick
3. Two call bells sound at the same time: whose needs are met first
4. Supplies are low and you are desperate for them - do you ‘short cut’?

Question 11

Ethics = Moral Theory