NUR510_discussionBoard 3
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Baker College *
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510
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Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by sharpesj
Doing the Right Thing- Session 3
This week’s discussion centers around ethical development. Robert George argues that growing in
ethics and training our emotions is a paradox (SAU Online, 2013). To me, this means no one can do it for us but we cannot do it on our own. We must take responsibility for our own moral development, while needing the support and guidance of others. From the moment we are born, our parents and communities begin teaching us what is right and wrong. We rely on them to help us understand what is morally correct. According to Lawrence Kohlberg theory there are six distinct stages of moral reasoning from infancy to adulthood (Mcleod, 2024). The three broad categories are moral reasoning, pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. People move through these stages in a fixed order and that moral understanding is linked to cognitive development (Mcleod, 2024). There are some arguments as to whether there are distinct stages to moral development. Some would argue that behind the theory is a culturally biased belief in the superiority of American values over those of other cultures and societies (Mcleod, 2024). Many times, we allow our emotions to guide our decisions instead of using reason. To act morally, we must allow reason to guide our passions and have reasonable emotions. Since individuals cannot solely train their own emotions, they must learn to use the resources available to them. These resources include parents, religious communities, and other institutions of society. These resources need to have a positive impact on us, they must be healthy and operate with high standards of integrity. As nurses, we use the ANA Code of Ethics to help guide our decisions. The first provision states “The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person” (American Nurses Association, 2015). This provision alone has helped me treat patients that I may have had trouble treating if I allowed my emotions to rule my decision.
I think we can all relate to treating patients that we may not morally agree with. As Christian nurses, we have an even higher obligation to provide ethical and compassionate care (Hoglund, 2013). This is when we rely on our code of ethics to make the correct decisions. References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/
Hoglund, B. A. (2013). Practicing the Code of Ethics, Finding the Image of God. Journal of Christian Nursing, 30 (4), 228-233. doi: 10.1097/CNJ.0b013e3182a18d40.
Mcleod, S. (2024, January 17). Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html
SAU Online. (2013, August 29). Session 1: How Did We Get into This Mess? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3hFW4oc-ZA.
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