Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example
Reason for Unethical Decision-Making
One reason for unethical decision-making in psychology is the lack of boundaries and professionalism. Ethical or professional boundaries describe the line drawn between the acceptable and the unacceptable. Boundaries can be physical or psychological. They help set the limits of acceptable and professional conduct. They govern caregiving relationships, differentiating from personal, intimate, professional or business relationships (Black, 2017). Despite the prohibitions and ethical codes trying to prevent unethical multiple relationships, the psychology profession has a long history of unethical relationships between psychologists and clients. Multiple relationships, boundary crossings, and boundary violations are common in the field (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016). Most boundary violations involve sexual involvement between a psychologist and a client. About 3.8% of practitioners get sexually involved with their clients during therapy or after discharging clients.(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Condition under Which a Professional Is More Vulnerable To Making an Unethical Decision
Loyalty conflicts make a psychologist more vulnerable to making unethical decisions. They include multiple loyalties, dual loyalties, and ambiguous loyalties. Conflicts of loyalty originate from a practitioner’s relationship with two or more clients or institutions. When the relationships are irreconcilable, the practitioner has to choose one client or the other. A psychologist in this situation tries to maintain a positive relationship with both clients, although the clients are battling with the psychologist. Loyalty conflicts are common in custody battles of children when a psychologist is called upon to testify on behalf of one of the parents (Merkt et al., 2021). Psychologists often act as expert witnesses in child custody battles, reviewing documents and records.(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Inexperience and lack of training are a problem at the root of professional boundary crossing and violations. Inexperienced psychologists are unprepared and unchallenged to handle their patients, particularly manipulative ones. Home-based therapy is linked to most professional boundary crossings and violations because the client has more space and opportunity to challenge the professional boundaries. Sexual intimate behavior between a therapist and a client is a serious problem within the profession attributed to inexperience and lack of proper training regarding ethical conduct. Recommendations for managing multiple relationships, boundary-crossing, and boundary violations include training requirements and opportunities for further research regarding interventions to prevent unethical relationships (Black, 2017). A therapist’s fiduciary duty to the client should act with the client’s best interest in mind. Ethical training can guide psychologists in making the right decisions in complex situations.(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Getting too personal or involved is a problem at the root of loyalty conflicts. Transference and countertransference might lead to a psychologist getting too involved in a client’s case. Psychologists face dilemmas, and their decisions can lead to a positive or negative outcome (Williams, 2017). Maintaining therapeutic boundaries and preventing bias can be challenging when the psychologist is too involved in a case. It impacts decision-making when the psychologist has to choose a side. The recommendation for avoiding loyalty conflicts is for the psychologist to avoid extra involvement in client cases, maintain a neutral position, and avoid picking one client over the other. Being neutral allows psychologists to perform professional roles ethically and professionally.(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
References
Black, S. C. (2017). To cross or not to cross: Ethical boundaries in psychological practice. JANZSSA-Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 25(1), 1339.(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Koocher, G., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2016). Ethics in psychology and the mental health professions: standards and cases. New York: Oxford University Press.(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Merkt, H., Wangmo, T., Pageau, F., Liebrenz, M., Devaud Cornaz, C., & Elger, B. (2021). Court-Mandated Patients’ Perspectives on the Psychotherapist’s Dual Loyalty Conflict – Between Ally and Enemy. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 592638. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.592638 (Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Williams, L. L. (2017). Unethical decision making and solutions in the field of psychology. https://medium.com/psychbrother/unethical-decision-making-and-solutions-in-the-field-of-psychology-8340a2c02e88/(Unethical Decision Making Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
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