Assignment 3: Comparison of Ethical Models

Part 1

Decisions regarding the approach for solving ethical dilemmas are influenced by many factors, including personal beliefs, social norms, and regulatory guidelines. However, human services professionals do not contemplate a particular model that guides their decisions or do not necessarily have insight into the factors that guide their decisions, when faced with ethical challenges.

In this assignment, you will analyze four different models of ethical decision making to understand how these models influence professionals, clients, society, and the overall field of human services. You will also see how these models might fit into your personal approach while making decisions regarding human services clients.

Tasks:

Using the Internet, the Argosy University online library resources, and professional literature, research and prepare a 3- to 4-page paper to compare the four models. Professional literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).

The paper should include the following:
The factors (personal and societal) according to each model that drive ethical decisions
The people who are affected by the decision
The application to present-day human services
The model you favor and the reasons for selecting this model

In addition, complete a detailed analysis for the deontological and utilitarian ethical orientations. Address the main philosophical differences between the two, considering the factors that influence ethical decisions. Which approach would be most beneficial to your clients? Discuss the rationale for the approach you select.

Part 2

A human services administrator is responsible for overseeing professionals belonging to diverse disciplines who work together in one agency. While the established ethics code for human services workers addresses many of the same standards that are familiar to most helping professionals, each discipline has a few ethics standards that are specific to its respective functions. For example, both psychologists and social workers protect the confidentiality of clients, are expected to be aware of their scope of practice, and have to obtain informed consent from clients before they can provide services; however, there are certain differences in other areas in their respective ethics codes. As an administrator, it is important to be familiar with such similarities as well as differences to ensure that each type of professional is managed within the specific parameters of his or her respective ethics code.

In this assignment, you will compare and contrast standards from the ethics codes of two human services disciplines and compare these with standards from the ethical codes for human services professionals in general.

Tasks:

Select two disciplines (for example, psychology, social work, counseling, or addictions counseling) for comparison with the ethics code of human services. Research and address the following points regarding the ethics codes of both disciplines as compared to those of human services in a 3- to 4-page paper:

Similarities and differences on the basis of the following ethics standards: informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, dual relationships, and competence

How personal values might conflict with or support one ethical standard (e.g., informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, dual relationships, and competence) in the work of the human services professionals?

Use the Internet, the Argosy University online library resources, and professional literature to conduct your research. Professional literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).