Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between humanistic ethics and religious ethics.
2. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between societal values and group values.
3. According to the ethics of caring, people are by their very nature bound up in relation to others. How can attention to emotions reduce conflict in moral dilemmas?
4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between ethical relativism versus ethical absolutism.
5. Discuss the differences between values and ethics.
6. Using the framework of feminist ethics, what part do the ideas of autonomy and empowerment play in the process of ethical decision making?
7. Explain what is involved in clinical pragmatism.
8. Discuss the differences and similarities between personal, group, societal, and professional values.
9. Discuss the five approaches to ethical decision-making located on pages 46-51.
10. As an exercise in clarifying your own personal values, what do you see as the three most important ones and why?
11. Divide the class into two groups. Have one side of the room read pages 44-45 on ethical relativism and apply it to the following vignette. Have the other side of the room read pages 45-46 on ethical absolutism and apply it the vignette below.
Nina is a 19-year-old female in her final semester of high school. Nina has been accepted on a full scholarship to UVA for the fall semester to study English. She has been sexually active since the age of 16 and has had more than 6 partners. Nina takes the birth control pill but does not like the feel of a condom, thus oral contraception is her only line of defense. She has been dating Jimmy (age 22) for three months and discovers she is pregnant and has been infected with Chlamydia (a treatable and curable STD). Nina is considering not telling Jimmy and having an abortion.
12. 7. Clinical pragmatists focus their attention on improving the practice of social work. What factors do they feel are determined by society, so that the social workers’ ethics are less important than sociey’s ethics?
1. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between humanistic ethics and religious ethics.
ReplyDelete“Ethical Decisions For Social Work Practice” (pg 48-50)
Humanistic ethics combines a strong idealism with opportunities for individual choices. This approach and the religious approach stresses the capacity, opportunity, and responsibility of every person to make choices that make sense to him or her. The religious ethics presuppose a belief in the existence of God. While secularist philosophers teach that men and women are their own creators of their own values. Philosophers that use the humanistic approach believe that there is a set of divine values that humans must try to discover.
7. Explain what is involved in clinical pragmatism. (Page 48)
ReplyDeleteClinical pragmatism includes social workers who indicate themselves as neither philosophers nor specialist in solving ethical problems. Instead, they believe that their primary responsibility is to deliver a high level of professional service. However, social workers who follow this approach rarely question society’s ethics or its norms. Their practice supports the status quo. These social workers should remember that social workers have the responsibility and ethical imperative to not practice, condone, facilitate or collaborate with any forms of discrimination.
I will post your grades shortly. Double check your citation please.
ReplyDelete4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between ethical relativism versus ethical absolutism.
ReplyDeleteEthical relativists reject fixed moral rules. They justify ethical decisions on the basis of the context or situation in which they are made or on the basis of the consequences that result. They think about what decisions will result in the greater balance of good over bad consequences. This balance serves as a major criterion for reaching an ethical decision. Ethical absolutism stresses the overriding importance of fixed moral rules. Philosophers who hold this approach teach that an action is inherently right or wrong, apart from any consequences that might result from it. These individuals believe that a specific action or practice is morally right or wrong not because of its consequences or the circumstances but "becaus of some feature intrinsic to the act or practice itself". Absolutists maintain that ethical rules can be formulated and that these rules should hold under all circumstances.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice.pg 44-45. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
8. Discuss the differences and similarities between personal, group, societal, and professional values.
ReplyDeleteIndividual and personal values are values held by one person but not necessarily by others. Group values are held by subgroups within a society such as religious groups, ethnic groups, and so forth. Societal values are values that are recognized by major portions of the entire social system or, at least, by the leading members of spokespersons of that systems. Professional values are values proclaimed by a professional group, such as social workers. Most of these value groups are reciprocal however there can be conflict between these group values.
Pg. 53
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
5. Discuss the differences between values and ethics.
ReplyDeleteValues are a key element in the ethical decision making process. There are four different levels of values. These values include individual or personal values, group values, societal values, and professional values. Personal values are held by one person but not others. Group values are values held by subgroups within a society. Societal values are values that are recognized by major portions of the entire social system. Professional values are proclaimed by a professional group such as social workers. Whereas ethics seek to discover the principles that guide people in deciding what is right and wrong
Pg 21 & 53
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning
10. As an exercise in clarifying your own personal values, what do you see as the three most important ones and why?
ReplyDeleteI think the three most important values to social work are Competence, Dignity and Worth of the Person, and Social Justice. I think these are the most important because are the most glaring needs of our community today. I think as a country we do not value these three things. I also think these are the most important values because these are what our communities need today for a better tomorrow. I think these are what I try my best to do and what I believe are the best ways of accomplishing the goals of the social work profession.
My citation for my response above is Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 20. Belmont: Cengage Learning
I think all of you really answered professionally to your specific questions. I think we all should have a discussion in seminar about some of these topics
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eugene!
ReplyDelete2. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between societal values and group values.
ReplyDelete- Similarities: Societal values and group values both work within the realm of working in the best interest of a particular group. Values of a particular group are respected in the world of social work; moreover, a social worker knowing values and customs of a particular can benefit them is effectively assisting a particular group of clients.
Differences: Group values – Part of analyzing one’s value system is clarifying the values of those reference groups with which one identifies. Group membership and context are powerful and often decisive value forces. Independent decision making is valued by Americans in general, but some groups may hold other values. Societal values – The application of societal norms may become problematic when a society accepts values that previously were disvalued, especially when the adoption of the new value occurs unevenly among different groups within society. For example, today many (but not all) Americans accept the value that one may choose one’s lifestyle freely, particularly if this does not impinge on the lives of others.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 55-56 Belmont: Cengage Learning
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Pg. 42-51.
ReplyDelete9. Discuss the five approaches to ethical decision-making located on pages 46-51.
Essentially, ethical systems were derived in two ways: autonomous ethics and heteronomous ethics. Autonomous ethics includes those systems in which humans determine the moral rules and heteronmous ethics derive moral rules for nonhuman sources. The five methods to ethical decision-making includes: clinical pragmatism, humanistic ethics, situational ethics, religious ethics and feminist ethics.
Clinical pragmatism- focuses on the interpersonal processes of assessment and consensus formation as well as the ethical analysis of relevant moral considerations. They believe that their primary responsibility is to deliver a high level of professional service. Social worker use societal values as the only criterion to identify the types of behavior that require professional intervention.
Humanistic ethics- stresses the capacity, opportunity, and responsibility of every person to make choices that make sense to him or her. The individual client or group, rather than any institution or ideology, occupies the center of attention.
Situational ethics- claims that there are no ethical laws. It became popular in the 1960a when there were skeptical of the types of authority. Ethical decision should be influenced only by the norm of love. Without general rules, the social worker must evaluate what is the right thing to do in every situation and try not to choose a course of action that demonstrates the most love for all those concerned. It will allow one to lie to save a life or prevent harm to others.
Religious ethics- presuppose a belief in the existence of God. Religious philosophers maintain that there is a set of divine values that humans must try to discover. They believe in faith and that interpersonal relations can exist only if one accepts the authority of God.
Feminist ethics- Traditional Western approaches to ethics are criticized by feminist ethicists. Among the aspects of feminist that have importance for professional ethics are the following: 1) the critique of domination and the concomitant articulation of the values or reciprocity, balancing traditional power differences, 2) the recognition of the distinctive individuality of the other, 3) a commitment to an ideal of caring and 4) a rejections of abstract universality and a model of reasoning that is concerned with context. Feminist ethics are concerned with both particularities of individual situations and a concern with social structural conditions such as racism, sexism and classism.
Chapter 3
ReplyDelete10. As an exercise in clarifying your own personal values, what do you see as the
three most important ones and why?
I would say that one of my personal values would be religiousness , because growing up I was always in church an taught to put God first in any and everything that I do so that’s something that has always been a part of me and has always been a personal value. I choose honesty because that’s also something that I like to go by the truth shall set you free. Being honest can make your life easier which will gain a lot of respect which is my third important value. I feel like respect is something that should be given at all times, you have to give it to get it.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 20. Belmont: Cengage Learning
Values are an important element in the ethical decision making process. There are four different types of values. These values include individual or personal values, group values, societal values, and professional values. Personal values are held by one person but not others. Group values are values held by subgroups within a society. Societal values are values that are recognized by major portions of the entire social system. Professional values are proclaimed by a professional group such as social workers. Whereas ethics seek to discover the principles that guide people in deciding what is right and wrong
ReplyDeleteDolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Pg 21 & 53Belmont: Cengage Learning
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ReplyDelete2. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between societal values and group values.
ReplyDeleteSocietal values are what has been taught by society to an individual. For example, a male is taught not t show emotions because it makes that person look weak. Group value are taught by individuals in a smaller form than society. Both societal and group share the same role which is to influence people.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Pg 53 Belmont: Cengage Learning