RUNNINGHEAD: MORAL REASONING PAPER

Moral Reasoning Paper

Ashley Merrill
Fk8083
SW3410
Wayne State University

MORAL REASONING PAPER

Morals and ethics are closely related but defined by different sets of standards. Every
individual has a different set of morals by which they stand by. To discuss morals and ethics and
their relation we must first define them. Morality as stated by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
(2015) is defined as beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior as well as
the degree to which something is right and good : the moral goodness or badness of something.
Each person decides for themselves what is morally right and what is wrong. The degree to
which they come to this decision is based upon many factors. Factors of morals can include
family of origin, sex, race, society and religion. We all have life experiences that have shaped
our morals.
Theorists have come up with moral decision making models. Most famous for his
decision making model is Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Development. In this theory, Kohlberg
explains that there are stages of moral reasoning that start in childhood through adulthood. The
three stages in order are, preconventional reasoning, conventional reasoning and
postconventional reasoning. In the first stage of preconventional reasoning its concept includes
asking the questions What are the rules to follow? and Whats in it for me? as described by
Barsky (2010). Preconventional reasoning is more aligned with a child who is not yet aware of
their role in society. The next stage in moral development is conventional reasoning where
during the development of this stage one would ask What do I need to do to show I am a good
boy/girl/friend/student/spouse/worker? or may also ask What would a moral, law abiding
person do? (Barsky, 2010). In this stage individual are more conscious of the expectations that
they are supposed to uphold as a member of society. Lastly is the stage of postconventional
reasoning which takes our moral obligations to a next level and broadens them. It is not
uncommon for an individual to not reach this stage of moral reasoning but to remain in the

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conventional stage throughout ones life (Barsky, 2010). In this stage an individual will ask As a
member of society what rights, privileges, and laws should I promote? as stated by Barsky
(2010). Postconventional reasoning is centered around society and others.
Morals were defined earlier as what beliefs one upholds. While morals are closely
related to ethics, ethics takes on a different role. As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
(2015) ethics are rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad in
addition to an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior : a branch
of philosophy dealing with what is morally right or wrong. Ethics are the rules that have been
made based upon the morals of certain groups such as social workers. Social workers practice
among their set of ethical codes set forth by the morals the group stands behind. For each group
their may be different ethical codes. While ethics are not bound by law they are essentially an
unwritten law inside the group or role that individuals participate and practice in.
There are differences between moral decision making and ethical decision making.
According to Barsky (2010) Moral decision making refers to the processes used by individuals
to determine what is the right (or morally just) action to take in a particular situation. When
using ethical decision making an individual will asses the situation by the set of rules the
organization they belong to stands by. It is very important for social workers to know about
moral decision making and ethical decision making. In any profession that one obtains there are
rules to follow and accepting the role in a certain profession also means that an individual
promises to practice by the organizations ethics. In social work the National Association of
Social Workers (NASW) has came up with clear ethical codes and guidelines. By practicing as a
social worker you are agreeing to come to ethical decisions by following the NASWs Code of

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Ethics, rather than personal moral decisions. There will be times when personal morals will have
to be set aside to make a decision in the practice of social work.
When personally coming to a moral decision, judgment and behavior that can impact
clients, I can be effected by my own biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors.
Biologically I cannot serve my client professionally if I am not meeting my basic biological
needs. For example, I must satisfy my physical needs such as hunger, sleep and shelter. If I
require nine hours of sleep a night and I am only getting six hours of sleep to be able to
adequately serve my client then I would not be living up to the ethical code 1.01 commitment to
clients (NASW, 2008).
Psychological factors can also impact my moral decision making, judgment and behavior
which can also have an impact on the clients I am serving. My attitudes, emotions and mental
health need to regularly be assessed to make sure I am able to serve my clients ethically. An
instance would be if I had recently ended a relationship and was not emotionally doing so well
but continued to see a client who was having problems in her relationship with her boyfriend.
Due to my psychological state I may be inclined to direct my client to break up with her
boyfriend out of my own emotions when morally I would know the right decision would be to
help her through it and to not reflect countertransference on my client. I would need to make
sure my personal issues were worked through first and if that were the case in this scenario I
would take the time off that I needed and ask a colleague to continue with my clients case.
Social factors could also play a role in the impact on my decision making and judgment.
In my life I have certain social roles at certain times. As a social worker I have an obligation to
the social group or organization I am affiliated with to perform certain ethical standards. In
another social role as a friend I am set to a different set of moral and ethical standards. In my

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social role as a sister and daughter I am once again at a different set of standards when it comes
to morals decisions, judgments and behaviors.
Lastly, there are spiritual factors that may have an impact on my moral decision making,
judgments and behaviors. As a Christian I believe in the Christian faith and what it stands for
but I am not a regular church goer. I may be working with clients of a different faith who have
different morals and I would have to remember to follow the ethical codes of the NASW,
especially code 1.05 cultural competence and social diversity (NASW 2008). I have to be
competent to not make decisions based off of my own morals but those of my clients.
While social workers are expected to live up to the ethical standards that have been made
for them by the NASW. There are instances when some moral judgments may need to be made
and are valid due to the discretion of the social worker. Not every social worker has the same
morals but the intention of every social worker is to come to the best decision for their client.
When a social worker is confronted with a moral dilemma between their clients, their job is to
use their best moral judgment and come to the decision that does the less harm. A social worker
should consult their supervisor before executing a moral decision about an ethical dilemma.
I have had influences in my own life that has affected my moral decision making that
guides my ethical decision making. My main influences have come from my family. My
grandparents also told me to do the right thing and that god was always watching. I believe I
stand by strong morals of what is considered generally to be right and wrong. There may have
been times where I have had to bend the truth with good intentions. For example, I have been
told that it is not right to lie but I believe that if it is done with good intentions such as telling a
friend that you think their hair looks good after getting a drastic haircut, then lying so that they
do not feel bad about themselves is not necessarily a bad thing. If everyone told the truth about

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everything then we would be living in a very unsatisfactory world. That is what having morals is
all about, knowing what is right as to not put harm onto others. When it comes to influences in
the profession of social work that guide my ethical decision making, it goes back to when I first
started my journey in human services at Washtenaw Community College. My human services
professors strongly expressed the importance of ethics and mandated reporting. While serving
my internship during that time I witnessed an adult client smoking marijuana with his underage
daughter in the car. Ethically, I knew it was my duty to report the incident to my supervisor and
also morally I knew it was wrong for the parent to be illegally smoking marijuana, also while
operating a vehicle and in the presence of the minor child. As a mandated reporter I reported the
incident to the proper authorities.
There will come a time when we are dealing with clients who make decisions that we
believe are morally wrong. I would be able to support my clients decisions against my own
morals by following the NASWs (2008) ethical principal of dignity and worth of the person. By
using this ethical principal the NASW (2008) states Social workers treat each person in a caring
and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social
workers promote clients socially responsible self-determination. By following this code, the
social worker is mindful of the decisions the client is making and also fully aware of the clients
right to self-determination. If a client were to for example, stop medications, leave treatment
against medical advice, terminate a pregnancy, or lie to an employer, I would have to support
their choice of self-determination. As their social worker I would counsel them on all alternative
levels and not just by what I would think was right. I would provide them with all of their
options and allow them to be the one to ultimately make their own decision. By doing this I
would also be following code of ethics code 1.02 Self Determination. The NASW (2008) states

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Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in
their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients right to selfdetermination when, in the social workers professional judgment, clients actions or potential
actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.
Another code I would follow as a social worker is code 1.05 Cultural Competence and
Social Diversity. Code 1.05 states:
(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human
behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures. (b)
Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients cultures and be
able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive
to clients cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups. (c)
Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the
nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity,
national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or
physical disability.
This code I would follow if I found myself with a client who is of a different religious,
racial, or ethnic background. I would respect the differences and do my research so that I can
fully understand them. I would absolutely gather information from my colleagues who have
been in a similar situation as they may be able to give me insight with how to proceed and I
would make sure to take the time to read up and do my research ahead of time so I can be fully
prepared to serve my clients.
Besides being culturally competent it is also important to know professional and

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appropriate boundaries with a client. I believe I am able to delineate between the two. My first
session with clients would be providing them with a disclosure statement that would include
informing them of the boundaries between the client and helper. Also as part of my disclosure
statement I will explain code 1.07 Privacy and Confidentiality. The NASW (2008) says Social
workers should respect clients right to privacy and also says Social workers should protect the
confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of professional service, except for
compelling professional reasons. The general expectation that social workers will keep
information confidential does not apply when disclosure is necessary to prevent serious,
foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or other identifiable person. In all instances, social
workers should disclose the least amount of confidential information necessary to achieve the
desired purpose; only information that is directly relevant to the purpose for which the disclosure
is made should be revealed. By following code 1.07 I will be able to appropriately maintain
client confidentiality. I do not have a problem keeping confidences in my everyday life. I value
the confidences that are shared with me and I respect the people that share them. I value the trust
that others have in me to keep their confidences private and I know that I can keep professional
confidences as well because I want my clients to be able to trust me.
There may be times when I will not agree that the values of the social work profession
are being upheld within my organization or with the laws of the state. If this is the case I may
have to participate in social and political action. In the NASW (2008) code of ethics code 6.04
Social and Political Action it states Social workers should engage in social and political action
that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and
opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers
should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes

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in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and
promote social justice. My efforts would start with talking to officials to find out what action
steps I would need to take to change a social injustice. I would probably start with a petition and
educating the community. Usually gathering a certain numbers of signatures on a community
issue, can result in a proposal to be voted on by legislature. By taking these steps I believe I am
able to advocate for social and political action for social justice.
Another issue regarding morals and ethics in the profession of social work that may arise
is the impairment of professional helpers. If I suspected a colleague of mine was impaired I
would intervene. According to ethics code 2.09 Impairment of Colleagues it states:
(a) Social workers who have direct knowledge of a social work colleagues
impairment that is due to personal problems, psychosocial distress,
substance abuse, or mental health difficulties and that interferes with
practice effectiveness should consult with that colleague when feasible and
assist the colleague in taking remedial action. (b) Social workers who
believe that a social work colleagues impairment interferes with practice
effectiveness and that the colleague has not taken adequate steps to
address the impairment should take action through appropriate channels
established by employers, agencies, NASW, licensing and regulatory
bodies, and other professional organizations.
I do not believe that an impaired colleague would be able to serve his or her client
professionally or competently. I would talk to my colleague about rescheduling his or her clients
meeting to a time when they are fully coherent. I would also report the incident to the supervisor
of the agency. Self-care is very important in this type of field and an impaired client is not taking

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the time for self-care. Self-care is my way to make sure I am vigilant about my own behavior in
this regard. First, I am not one who has had a problem with impairment in my professional life
and by not partaking in those behaviors is one way I am able to stay vigilant. Second, I would
never put my career that I worked very hard for in jeopardy. By making sure I follow the code of
ethics in this regard and taking time for my own self-care, I will be able to stay professional.
Failure to act would absolutely be a violation of ethics code 6.04. We must be sure to follow
each code and act accordingly when a situation arises.
We must also act ethically before we start any new position with an employer. If I were
to receive an offer for a new position that I really wanted and needed to start by the end of the
week, I would communicate with both my new employer and my previous employer to make
sure I live out the commitments I made to each. The NASW (2008) code 3.09 Commitment to
Employers says Social workers generally should adhere to commitments made to employers
and employing organizations. By ensuring I complete my commitments to my previous
employer I would be following this code.
As mentioned previously self-care is important for preventing burnout from happening.
At times using disparaging language with clients may be a sign of burnout. If this happens it is a
violation of code 1.12 Derogatory Language where its states Social workers should not use
derogatory language in their written or verbal communications to or about clients. Social workers
should use accurate and respectful language in all communications to and about clients (NASW,
2008). If I notice any derogatory behavior happening on my behalf, I would post-pone meetings
with my clients and consult my supervisor with the situation and how to proceed. Taking proper
breaks and time for myself is a way to alleviate a symptom of burnout so I can competently work
with my clients.

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To serve my clients to the best of my ability I will practice as transparent as possible. I

want to make sure my clients are aware of everything that will happen in the helping relationship
and also let them know that they are able to ask questions at any time for clarity. According to
ethics code 1.03 informed consent part (d) it states In instances when clients are receiving
services involuntarily, social workers should provide information about the nature and extent of
services and about the extent of clients right to refuse service (NASW, 2008). By following
this code I am able to let the clients know that they have a choice if they want to participate.
Hopefully with being transparent the client will be able to participate with the understanding that
I would be honest and following a code of ethics while serving them.

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References

Barsky, A. E. (2010). Ethics and values in social work an integrated approach for a
comprehensive curriculum. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Code of Ethics - National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Retrieved August 3, 2015, from
https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
Ethics&Morals.(2015).RetrievedAugust3,2015,fromhttp://www.merriamwebster.com