Ethical Dilemmas: Decision-Making Models in Human Service Context

This essay provides a comprehensive exploration of ethical dilemmas and decision-making models, focusing on their application in human services. It delves into normative, descriptive, and prospective models, highlighting the influence of factors like technology and societal changes on ethical decision-making. The essay examines Jones's issue-contingent model, emphasizing moral intensity, and contrasts teleological (Mill) and deontological (Kant) theories. It further analyzes similarities and differences in ethical standards adhered to by psychologists and addiction counselors, addressing issues like nonmaleficence, autonomy, informed consent, dual relationships, and confidentiality. The conclusion emphasizes the need for further research to address evolving ethical dilemmas, referencing various works on ethical decision-making in healthcare and social work.

Ethical Dilemas
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Introduction
Ethics or moral philosophy is s a branch of philosophy that deals with putting down systems and
recommending what is right and what is wrong in the different instance. It deals with the
responsibilities, the human behavior and what people will do under different circumstances.
Body
In whatever people are involved in they are bound to be controlled by the rules of right or wrong
and this specifically determines how they tend to deal with different situations. Human services
professionals are not set apart from the consequences of their actions. Human services
professionals for instance, among many other professionals, are bound to find themselves in
instances that require that the ethical decision making. Instances such as those requiring mercy
killing or euthanasia, or when the line between life and death is thin or those that require a rapid
response- are classical examples. However, that is bound to morals and rules that define what
should be done and how it should be done.
The process of decision making in itself entails coming up with alternatives and choosing the
best alternative among these. There are several models that have been developed to illustrate the
ethical decision-making process. These models are divided into normative, descriptive and
prospective models. The normative models ate toes models in which emphasize or elicit the ways
and means by which the decision makers should do their activities in the decision making the
process so as to achieve the ultimate conclusion. On the other hand, the descriptive models are
angled upon empirical evidence in line with how decision makers actually perform the stated
activities in the process of decision making. The perspective models, on the other hand, tend to

consider empirical evidence in an attempt to help the ethical decision maker make a decision
depending on the complexity of the particular situation.
Ethical decision models are influenced by a variety of factors in the current society. The
decision-making process has been influenced by a variety of factors that include: an increasingly
technological society; the changing fabric of our society; the increase of knowledge and the
proportion of resources that are allocated for human services.
One of the ethical decision-making models is the issue-contingent models by Jones (1991). This
model asserts that ethical decisions must have moral intensity for it to be appropriate. Moral
intensity is a combination of various factors that include: the magnitude of the consequences;
social consensus; the probability of the effect; the temporal immediacy; the proximity and the
concertation of effect.
The magnitude of consequences is basically defined as the total harm or benefit that comes into
play from a specific moral action that is identified. Social consensus, on the other hand, is
defined as the level of comparison or agreement that an alternative already presented is either
evil or is good notwithstanding. The probability of effect conversely describes the probability
that the action will actually take place and will lead to harm or will provide expected benefits.
Temporal immediacy is described as the time present between the actual action and the
consequences of the moral actions identified. Proximity describes the feeling of closeness or
togetherness that the moral agent encompasses for the victims or the beneficiaries of the intended
action. In conclusion, the concentration of effect basically defines the inverse function of the
individuals who are affected by the moral act.

The model proposed by Jones can be applied to present-day human activities in many ways.
When one is making a decision that the human service provider such as a psychologist can define
whether a situation requires a specific moral intensity. The psychologist can then make
judgments based on the moral intensity that accompanies the situation. The judgments made will
be appropriate in creating distinctions between situations and to avoid the existence of bias. This
model is very effective as a descriptive model in dealing with client needs as it deals with client
depending upon the particular identified feasible need. It is, however, important to note that the
decision may result in unintended consequences.
Philosopher John Stuart Mill came up with the theological model or theory. Teology basically
describes that the value of a situation should be determined by the consequences that it exhibits.
Therefore, the outcome or result of an action in itself is not the action itself, it is the way or
criterion for identifying the goodness of that action.
The principle of utility is a basic epitome or concept of teleology. Utility in itself states that an
act must result in the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people involved in a
situation. Good in this case defines a positive benefit.
Philosopher Immanuel Kant, on the other hand, came up with the deontology model or theory.
Deontology basically describes the theory that considers the intrinsic significance of the act itself
as the criterion or way by which its usefulness or good is determined. That simply means that in
determining the ethics that encompasses a situation, a person must consider the motives of the
actor and not the consequences that accompany the act in question. Deontology comes in
conjunction with the virtue theory which describes what a good person would do in the same
situation.

Kant came up with the concept of the categorical imperative. This concept simply states that one
should act only of the action is based on a principle that is universal meaning everyone would act
in the same way when faced with a similar situation. It also illuminates that a person should not
be treated as a means to achieve an end result. Adherence to this concept poses a great ethical
concern especially to a psychologist and other human service providers, who may at times risk
the well-being of a client or patient even when it is not in the best interest of the client in
question. Deontology theory is appropriate in my case since it allows me to make decisions
without worrying about the client, the intrinsic significance of the act is more considerable than
the act itself.
There are versed similarities and differences in which various human services providers adhere
to the ethical standards. Psychologists and addiction counselors have different yet diverse ways
and means of operating. Both psychologists and addiction counselors are enshrined in the ethical
principles. Psychologists and addiction counselor have taken an oath to do no harm to clients
(nonmaleficence). The psychologist and addiction counselor in question must identify whether a
treatment method can actually cause any unintended harm to the client. The selection of a
treatment regimen is based on the rules that it must do the greatest amount of good and reduces
the incidences of psychological or bodily harm.
The principle of autonomy is another important point that psychologists and addiction counselor
collides in as human service providers. Autonomy basically describes the clients right to free
choice. The decision that a client makes about their own health is respected by both psychologist
and addiction counselors. However, there are instances where this principle may be overstepped.
This is especially in cases where clients are a threat to their own well-being. Psychologists may
order that a patient or client is sedated to manage them or prevent harm to self or others.

Informed consent may be overstepped in such instances where the life of the client is endangered
by their own activities.
Informed consent is seen to pose an ethical dilemma in most cases since there are instances
where the client cannot give consent over their own health or wellbeing. Drug addicts or
psychiatric patients may be physically or mentally incapable of allowing changes or interferences
to their health. This proves a dilemma to both psychologist and addiction counselors. Clients
may also refuse to take medication and it may be required that they actually take them.
Dual relationships exist between psychologists and their clients. Drug addiction counselors may
also exhibit dual relationships with the patient. Dual relationships are instances in which the
client and the medical professionals have more than one existing relationships. However, the
psychologists and the drug addiction counselor both have to ensure they delve into maintaining
therapeutic relationships and not other romantic relationships. Therapeutic relationships are core
to any human service management. However, a dilemma may result if the client and the
psychologist or drug addiction counselor actually skip past the line of a therapeutic relationship
to a more intimate type of relationship.
Privacy and confidentiality are standards that have to be maintained by every human's service
provider. However, there are cases where privacy may not be maintained, especially when the
client has an intention of causing harm to self or others. It may be required that the psychologist
disclose this information to significant others- raising an ethical dilemma. A drug addiction
counselor may be faced with the same dilemma when a client wants to harm himself or others.
Conclusion

The ethical models, principles, and theories are yet to cover the ethical dilemmas that arise from
time to time. A lot needs to be done in the field of research to identify better ways and means of
dealing with the ethical dilemmas that arise from time to time.

References
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