Steps In Ethical Decision Making
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Decision making in itself can be quite baffling and bewildering at times and if there are ethical issues to be dealt with, it becomes all the more cumbersome and confusing. Judging a situation or a problem ethically entails your own values and parameters of right and wrong as well as considering the standard ethical rules of the society that you live in. Thus, we are often faced with the dilemma of whether to go by the professional standards, moral principles, codes and laws which constitute the critical evaluation level or our own intuitive response to the particular circumstances. To go about making the right ethical decisions, there are certain steps that can be followed. |
The first step towards making an ethical decision is to identify the situation requiring ethical consideration and who are the ones to be affected the most through your decision. For instance, if a patient desires to have a mercy killing to end his excruciating pain, should you go by the request of the person or think about his family first? As moral reasoning demands the greatest good of the greatest number, you may have to think twice before taking any step. Next, consider whether you as a person are well-equipped to handle the situation and if you can hand over the responsibility to someone else who can do a better job. Once you have decided to go for making the ethical decision, look into the various legal areas centering round the problem and if it would be wise to consult an attorney. The next step involves your own prejudices and emotions towards making the decision. Introspect your feelings and judge whether making the decision according to the ethical standards would impact you adversely and whether you really want to take the particular step. If you are not comfortable with it, the following step is to consider the plausible alternatives to the situation and assess the consequences each option might have. After considerable evaluation, take the decision that seems the most ethical to you. The final step of making an ethical decision is immediate reconsideration and taking personal responsibility to face the consequences. Lastly, applying the Golden Rule Approach and placing yourself in the situation is also a rightful step to making decision ethically.
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