Grandparents, Grandchildren and the Generation in Between By Gay Ochiltree (2006). Victoria: ACER. 160pp ISBN 0864314132, $35 - 
            
            On Being a Supervisee: Creating Learning Partnerships By Michael Carroll and Maria Gilbert (2006). Kew, Victoria: PsychOz. 157pp, ISBN 0958579679, $40 - 
            
            The Practice of Counselling Edited by Nadine Pelling, Randolph Bowers and Philip Armstrong (2007). Melbourne, Victoria: Thomson. 524pp ISBN 0170129780 $80 - 
            
            Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse By Christine Sanderson (2006). London: Jessica Kingsley. 447pp, ISBN 1843103354, $68 - 
            
            Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory and Practice Edited by Ansel Woldt and Sarah Toman (2005). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 392pp, ISBN 07619279103, $104 - 
            
            Culturally Relevant Ethical Decision-Making in Counseling By Rick Houser, Felicia Wilczenski and Maryanna Ham (2006). London: Sage. 334pp, ISBN 1412905877, $85

Studies have shown that organizations are putting more effort in enforcing the ethical practices in their decision making activities (Janet, Armen, & Ted, 2001). An increasing number of models have also been proposed that have attempted to explore and explain various philosophical approaches to ethical decision making behaviour. In addition, many empirical studies have been presented in various scholarly journals focusing on this subject with the aim of putting theory into practice (O’Fallon & Butterfield, 2005). Nevertheless, unethical practices including fraud, corruption, and bribery continue to be reported (Trevino & Victor, 1992). Bartlett (2003) claims that there is a large gap between theory and practice in ethical decision making research, as existing models are trapped either in undersocialized view (focus on individual factors only) or oversocialized view (focus on situational factor only). Development of a theoretical framework in the ethical decision making area has proven to be very challenging due to the multitude of complex and varied factors that contribute to ethical behaviour. This article attempts to contribute in this challenging area by reviewing and examining the major existing models and presenting an integrated model of ethical decision making model.

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Using practical wisdom to facilitate ethical decision-making: a major empirical study of phronesis in the decision narratives of doctors

BMC Medical Ethics ◽

10.1186/s12910-021-00581-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mervyn Conroy ◽

Aisha Y. Malik ◽

Catherine Hale ◽

Catherine Weir ◽

Alan Brockie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ethical Decision ◽

Ethical Decision Making ◽

Practical Wisdom ◽

Research Question ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Final Decision ◽

Theoretical Understanding

Abstract Background Medical ethics has recently seen a drive away from multiple prescriptive approaches, where physicians are inundated with guidelines and principles, towards alternative, less deontological perspectives. This represents a clear call for theory building that does not produce more guidelines. Phronesis (practical wisdom) offers an alternative approach for ethical decision-making based on an application of accumulated wisdom gained through previous practice dilemmas and decisions experienced by practitioners. Phronesis, as an ‘executive virtue’, offers a way to navigate the practice virtues for any given case to reach a final decision on the way forward. However, very limited empirical data exist to support the theory of phronesis-based medical decision-making, and what does exist tends to focus on individual practitioners rather than practice-based communities of physicians. Methods The primary research question was: What does it mean to medical practitioners to make ethically wise decisions for patients and their communities? A three-year ethnographic study explored the practical wisdom of doctors (n = 131) and used their narratives to develop theoretical understanding of the concepts of ethical decision-making. Data collection included narrative interviews and observations with hospital doctors and General Practitioners at all stages in career progression. The analysis draws on neo-Aristotelian, MacIntyrean concepts of practice- based virtue ethics and was supported by an arts-based film production process. Results We found that individually doctors conveyed many different practice virtues and those were consolidated into fifteen virtue continua that convey the participants’ ‘collective practical wisdom’, including the phronesis virtue. This study advances the existing theory and practice on phronesis as a decision-making approach due to the availability of these continua. Conclusion Given the arguments that doctors feel professionally and personally vulnerable in the context of ethical decision-making, the continua in the form of a video series and app based moral debating resource can support before, during and after decision-making reflection. The potential implications are that these theoretical findings can be used by educators and practitioners as a non-prescriptive alternative to improve ethical decision-making, thereby addressing the call in the literature, and benefit patients and their communities, as well.

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Culturally Relevant Ethical Decision-Making in Counseling Culturally relevant ethical decision-making in counseling

10.4135/9781452225838 ◽

2006 ◽

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ethical Decision ◽

Culturally Relevant ◽

Ethical Decision Making

Download Full-text

Using practical wisdom to facilitate ethical decision-making: a major empirical study of phronesis in the decision narratives of doctors.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-11289/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mervyn Conroy ◽

Aisha Y Malik ◽

Catherine Hale ◽

Catherine Weir ◽

Alan Brockie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ethical Decision ◽

Ethical Decision Making ◽

Practical Wisdom ◽

Research Question ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Final Decision ◽

Theoretical Understanding

Abstract Background Medical ethics has recently seen a drive away from multiple prescriptive approaches, where physicians are inundated with guidelines and principles, towards alternative, less deontological perspectives. This represents a clear call for theory building that does not produce more guidelines. Phronesis (practical wisdom) offers an alternative approach for ethical decision-making based on an application of accumulated wisdom gained through previous practice dilemmas and decisions experienced by practitioners. Phronesis, as an ‘executive virtue’, offers a way to navigate the practice virtues for any given case to reach a final decision on the way forward. However, very limited empirical data exist to support the theory of phronesis -based medical decision-making, and what does exist tends to focus on individual practitioners rather than practice-based communities of physicians. Methods The primary research question was: What does it mean to medical practitioners to make ethically wise decisions for patients and their communities? A three-year ethnographic study explored the practical wisdom of doctors (n=131) and used their narratives to develop theoretical understanding of the concepts of ethical decision-making. Data collection included narrative interviews and observations with hospital doctors and General Practitioners at all stages in career progression. The analysis draws on neo-Aristotelian, MacIntyrean concepts of practice- based virtue ethics and was supported by an arts-based film production process. Results We found that individually doctors conveyed many different practice virtues and those were consolidated into fifteen virtue continua that convey the participants’ ‘collective practical wisdom’, including the phronesis virtue. This study advances the existing theory and practice on phronesis as a decision-making approach due to the availability of these continua. Conclusion Given the arguments that doctors feel professionally and personally vulnerable in the context of ethical decision-making, the continua in the form of a video series and app based moral debating resource can support before, during and after decision-making reflection. The potential implications are that these theoretical findings can be used by educators and practitioners as a non-prescriptive alternative to improve ethical decision-making, thereby addressing the call in the literature, and benefit patients and their communities, as well.

Download Full-text

Using practical wisdom to facilitate ethical decision-making: a major empirical study of phronesis in the decision narratives of doctors.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-11289/v4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mervyn Conroy ◽

Aisha Y Malik ◽

Catherine Hale ◽

Catherine Weir ◽

Alan Brockie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ethical Decision ◽

Ethical Decision Making ◽

Practical Wisdom ◽

Research Question ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Final Decision ◽

Theoretical Understanding

Abstract Background Medical ethics has recently seen a drive away from multiple prescriptive approaches, where physicians are inundated with guidelines and principles, towards alternative, less deontological perspectives. This represents a clear call for theory building that does not produce more guidelines. Phronesis (practical wisdom) offers an alternative approach for ethical decision-making based on an application of accumulated wisdom gained through previous practice dilemmas and decisions experienced by practitioners. Phronesis, as an ‘executive virtue’, offers a way to navigate the practice virtues for any given case to reach a final decision on the way forward. However, very limited empirical data exist to support the theory of phronesis -based medical decision-making, and what does exist tends to focus on individual practitioners rather than practice-based communities of physicians. Methods The primary research question was: What does it mean to medical practitioners to make ethically wise decisions for patients and their communities? A three-year ethnographic study explored the practical wisdom of doctors (n=131) and used their narratives to develop theoretical understanding of the concepts of ethical decision-making. Data collection included narrative interviews and observations with hospital doctors and General Practitioners at all stages in career progression. The analysis draws on neo-Aristotelian, MacIntyrean concepts of practice- based virtue ethics and was supported by an arts-based film production process. Results We found that individually doctors conveyed many different practice virtues and those were consolidated into fifteen virtue continua that convey the participants’ ‘collective practical wisdom’, including the phronesis virtue. This study advances the existing theory and practice on phronesis as a decision-making approach due to the availability of these continua. Conclusion Given the arguments that doctors feel professionally and personally vulnerable in the context of ethical decision-making, the continua in the form of a video series and app based moral debating resource can support before, during and after decision-making reflection. The potential implications are that these theoretical findings can be used by educators and practitioners as a non-prescriptive alternative to improve ethical decision-making, thereby addressing the call in the literature, and benefit patients and their communities, as well.

Download Full-text