Special Issue
Submission Closed
Ethical Sensitivity: A Multidisciplinary Approach
View Published Articles →01About This Special Issue
Greater clinical autonomy and higher professional status of the therapeutic sciences over the past two decades, has highlighted the need for a theoretical framework in the initial stage of the decision-making process to facilitate the process of critical analysis of ethical situations (Wittmer, 2005). A framework is important in an age of accountability and professional responsibility where therapists can no longer simply rely on intuition to guide their actions. Ethical sensitivity skills are important for all facets of the therapeutic process and are in line with the principles of ethics applied to the therapeutic sciences, namely beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, truth telling and promise keeping. The skills within ethical sensitivity facilitate three main functions that include basic cognitive processes that can be taught: i). acquiring information about the ethical situation, which includes processes of perception and inference such as reading and expressing emotions, as well as perspective taking; ii) organising information, which includes processes of critical thinking and reflection such as caring by connecting to others, and working with interpersonal and group differences by controlling social bias; iii) using or interpreting information and includes processes of divergent thinking and prediction through generating interpretations and options with special consideration for the consequences. The ‘information’ can represent an observed incident, perceived relationships, currently experienced emotions, background knowledge of events and relationships retrieved from memory, and present attitudes retrieved from memory (Clarkeburn, 2002; Johnson, 2007; Nichols, 2011). These three functions evolve into deeper, emotional skills as the therapist observes role modelling and gains personal reflective experiences.Aims and Scope:
1. To present recent research on different aspects of ethical sensitivity to stimulate further discussions and research in the therapeutic sciences.
2. Theoretical framework for ethics with specific reference to ethical sensitivity
3. Current relevance of empathy and cultural sensitivity in the client-therapist relationship
4. Systematic review providing insight into the field of ethics in occupational therapy to supplement other already published reviews for other professions in the therapeutic sciences.
02Meet the Guest Editors
Our distinguished editors bring deep subject-matter expertise to curate high-quality research and ensure a rigorous peer-review process.
Lead Guest Editor
Alida Naudé
Faculty of Humanities, Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Guest Editor
Erna Alant
Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Guest Editor
Rose Sevcik
Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States
Guest Editor
Brenda Louw
Department of Audiology and SLP, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, United States
Guest Editor
Diane Nelson Bryen
Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Moorestown, United States
Guest Editor
Kobie Boshoff
School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Guest Editor
Benda Hofmeyr
Department of Philosophy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Guest Editor
Juan Bornman
Faculty of Humanities, Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
03Published Articles
The following articles have been published in this special issue.
-
Ethics, Dementia and Severe Communication Problems
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 37-40Received: 29 October 2015Accepted: 3 January 2016Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.16Downloads:Views:Abstract: Emmanuel Levinas [1] argued that ethics cannot be regarded as a set of principles, rules or norms, but rather that the fundamental basis of ethics is communication and negotiated decision-making. This article explores the conditions necessary for ethical behavior to occur, as explored by Murray [2], by focusing on two relevant issues: firstly the a... Show More -
Teaching Scientific and Professional Ethics: A Model of Graduate Student Training from Psychology
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 25-28Received: 1 November 2015Accepted: 2 February 2016Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.14Downloads:Views:Abstract: As individuals engage in research and/or clinical practice, reference to, and guidance from, their professional codes of ethics permeates their work. There has been a rise in the number of web sites, workshops, and publications about ethical training and behavior. Increasingly, courses have been developed for students at the graduate level along wi... Show More -
Cultural Competence and Ethical Decision Making for Health Care Professionals
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 41-52Received: 30 November 2015Accepted: 15 January 2016Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.17Downloads:Views:Abstract: Cultural competence and ethical decision making are two separate, yet intrinsically related concepts which are central to services rendered by all health care professionals. Cultural competence is based on ethical principles and informs ethical decision making. In spite of this important connection, the interrelationship of these two concepts does ... Show More -
The Enigma of Ethical Responsiveness: A Philosophical Perspective
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 5-12Received: 30 November 2015Accepted: 15 January 2016Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.12Downloads:Views:Abstract: This essay considers the enigma of ethical responsiveness from a Levinasian point of view. According to Levinas, the self is ontologically driven to persist in self-interest and therefore “naturally” inclined to consider other persons and all other forms of alterity as means to sustain itself in existence. How, then, is ethical action – which place... Show More -
A Measuring Instrument for Ethical Sensitivity in the Therapeutic Sciences
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 29-36Received: 21 December 2015Accepted: 23 December 2015Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.15Downloads:Views:Abstract: An emerging literature in behavioural ethics conceptualized ethical sensitivity as a critical part of the decision making process. Ethical sensitivity together with an understanding of the client, their needs, emotions and circumstances is fundamental to an effective therapeutic relationship and competent practice. This study appears to be the firs... Show More -
Ethics Education in Allied Health: A Systematic Review of Learning Outcomes for Entry-Level Students
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 13-24Received: 21 December 2015Accepted: 23 December 2015Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.13Downloads:Views:Abstract: The complexities of modern healthcare pose a range of ethical issues for health professionals. In preparing student health professionals for these complexities, entry-level education must go beyond exposure to ethical theory, codes and standards. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the student learning outcomes reported in peer-revie... Show More -
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 53-59Received: 25 January 2016Accepted: 10 February 2016Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.18Downloads:Views:Abstract: This paper traces the history of conducting research involving people with disabilities and raises serious questions about the ethics of conducting research. Ethical concerns include treatment of vulnerable populations, lack of informed consent, and benefit versus undue hardship when using people with disabilities as research participants. New tech... Show More
-
Editorial: Ethical Sensitivity – a Multidisciplinary Approach
Issue: Volume 4, Issue 2-1, April 2016Pages: 1-4Received: 28 January 2016Accepted: 21 March 2016Published: 13 May 2016DOI: 10.11648/j.hss.s.2016040201.11Downloads:Views:Abstract: The editorial provides an overview of this special edition. The leading guest editors aim to guide the reader through the various topics addressed in this collection of article papers related to ethics as presented by the individual authors. Topics are placed within the context of current available literature related to the philosophy of ethics, et... Show More
