The professional ethical dilemmas they arise in workers when they are presented with a conflict between two ethical norms. These are cases in which there is a difficulty in establishing which is the “correct” decision, because any possible action implies violating a moral principle.
For an ethical dilemma to exist, there must be a situation in which a decision needs to be made, based in turn on three principles:
However, there are times when the dilemma is more complex, because there is no option that benefits a majority. There may even be the dilemma of benefiting one person or another.
In these cases, it is often referred to as “perfect ethical dilemmas”, because there is no factor that helps to tip the balance towards one option or the other..
These conflicts cause part of the daily problems of any profession. Despite the fact that there are codes of ethics in all universities and companies, complex situations inevitably arise that require special analysis..
Ethical dilemmas in psychology are often related to the information that therapists receive from their patients.
Although all this information must be protected by professional secrecy, there are cases that cast doubt on this basic ethical principle.
One of these cases can occur when a patient reveals sensitive information that can help to solve a problem through legal means. For example, a case of rape by a close relative or acquaintance.
Faced with a situation of this type, the psychologist is faced with the dilemma of preserving professional secrecy or reporting the attacker.
Should the psychologist keep the secret even if it implies giving continuity to the violations?
In the field of education ethical dilemmas are also presented very frequently. This is due to the decision-making power that teachers have over students, the topics covered in class, the exams and the training process in general..
One of the most frequent ethical dilemmas is what issues to address or not in the classroom. For example, some religions or political tendencies oppose open sex education focused on the experience of an active but responsible sexuality..
Should a teacher refrain from educating, for example, in contraceptive methods?
One of the main ethical dilemmas, within the information age, has to do with the use that should be given to the data that reaches the hands of professionals.
For a professional who manages information in a company, it is possible to access privileged information.
For this reason, there are cases in which this information can prove the innocence or guilt of an official of your company. Should professional secrecy be protected or the pursuit of justice privileged?
Current developments in technology allow to have a great power of manipulation over human life. These advances are very promising in the treatment of diseases, but they are not without great ethical dilemmas.
One of the most contentious conflicts today is surrogacy. The controversy has to do with the fact of manipulating human embryos and paying for the use of a woman's body.
Is it correct to manipulate embryos and human bodies taking into account that there are other alternatives such as adoption?
Journalistic work is characterized by access to sensitive information, but also by the power to disseminate it to influence public opinion. This power is widely recognized, for this reason companies and governments know the importance of having the media on their side..
That is why one of the main ethical dilemmas in journalism has to do with the guideline, that is, with the companies that pay for the advertising that keep the media alive..
On many occasions, the media are often faced with the decision to hide information so as not to lose the pattern.
Should the media reveal compromising news even if it jeopardizes their existence??
Ethical dilemmas are continually presented in the medical sciences caused by the power of health professionals to save lives. One of the most prevalent dilemmas today is abortion.
A doctor with anti-abortion beliefs may face a difficult decision when faced with a woman who needs to terminate a pregnancy to save her own life. Should you have an abortion still above your beliefs?
Ethical dilemmas also arise in the development of nursing. These conflicts have to do with the handling of patient information and with the responsibility of professionals regarding the treatments that must be applied to them..
An example of this occurs when patients oppose receiving treatments that can even save their lives.
This is the case of the practitioners of some religions who oppose blood transfusions. Can a person be forced to receive treatment even above their beliefs??
In business administration there are ethical dilemmas that have to do with the labor rights of employees, customer information and the advertising of products or services.
One of these ethical dilemmas arises when accidents occur in production that ruin an entire batch of a food product..
Announcing the mistake and picking up the product can mean a huge financial loss for the company, but not announcing it can cause harm to people's health.
Should the accident be hidden even though it may cause harm to consumers' health?
In the exercise of the right to seek justice, professionals repeatedly encounter dilemmas. These are due to the fact that the meaning of justice is relative according to the different legal situations that arise..
In many cases there are people who are accused of a crime based on circumstantial facts, as a consequence the individual can be found guilty, without being completely sure of it.
However, the accused can be guilty of the accusations, at this point both lawyers, as well as judges and juries must continually face these dilemmas and solve them.
Under what conditions should an individual be charged and brought to trial for a crime?
The objective of engineering is to seek the general welfare of the population through the development and practice of new technologies. However, it does not escape from situations that represent an ethical dilemma.
An example is the construction of residential, commercial or industrial areas in natural areas, in order to offer a better quality of life to people, but for this, biodiversity is destroyed.
Is it correct to sacrifice plants and animals for the improvement of the living conditions of human beings?
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