What are professions?
*Self-defining groups
*Limit membership to those who will adopt and uphold their standards of training, practice, and associated values, as established by other professionals (distinct moral code)
*The organization provides a collective agency distinct from individuals
*Only established members of the profession can be employed to train new professionals
*The professional has a duty to provide services to the client only within their designated area of expertise
What is the fiduciary relationship?
A relationship of trust. The professional is trusted by the client to act in the client’s best interest (as an advisor) in a way that promotes their autonomy
What is a paternalistic relationship?
The professional simply pursues what they think is in the client’s best interest, without consulting the client.
How do prima facie duties apply to professionals?
Because some of them may come into conflict with each other in particular situations, or have to be overridden due to other pressing moral concerns.
They include both *negative duties (things that a professional
must not do to their clients) and *positive duties (things that a professional is required to do for their clients).
When is paternalism justfied?
*Client does not have sufficient mental development, such as a child or vulnerable adult (though the professional must maintain a fiduciary relationship with the guardian)
*Educators may set minimum education standards for different levels of education, and professions set standards for entering professions
*Based on expertise and current knowledge, a profession may determine that some options may be rejected as unsuitable methods for addressing client issues
What are the objections to the fiduciary model?
- It is psychologically unrealistic: Psychological Egoism - the theory that all voluntary human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest
- Fiduciary model is inconsistent: It becomes paternalistic because the professional is supposed to be unbiased, but they will still have to make certain evaluative judgments (for instance, about what the client really needs as opposed to what they want) that may be quite different from the client’s own judgments
What is seperatism?
The idea that the professional-client relationship cancels out or suspends the moral duties that
professionals would ordinarily have
What is synchronism?
This is the idea that professionals must fulfill their special (prima facie) duties to their clients within the constraints of the broader moral standards that we are all subject to as human beings.
What are prima facie duties?
Moral obligations that are binding at first glance, all things being equal, unless overridden by a more pressing moral consideration in a specific situation. They serve as moral guidelines rather than absolute rules
What is autonomy?
The capacity for self-determination or self-directedness
What should education do in reference to autonomy?
should focus on providing students with the skills and the motivation to think critically/live a genuinely examined life
What are legitimate reasons to refuse certain services?
- When the profession does not see it as good/ethical practice
- The individual professional rejects a client’s preference based on a certain circumstance
- When the professional objects to a practice endorsed by the profession and will not offer it to the client (as long this decision doesn’t contradict the core task of the profession)
- Because the client cannot pay for the service (sometimes)
What is recusal?
The professional must step aside or withdraw from a specific case or client relationship if they have a conflict of interest, bias, or other circumstances that would compromise their impartiality or effectiveness. This is done to ensure fairness, maintain integrity, and preserve public confidence in the profession.
What is referral?
When a professional recuses themselves, they have a responsibility to direct the client to another, more appropriate, service provider. This ensures the client’s needs are still met, even if not by the original professional, upholding the professional’s commitment to client well-being
r
