This set the context for establishing codes of ethics in human service arenas, including social work . One event was the atrocities exposed during the Nuremberg trials in Germany in 1945 and 1946. Another significant event occurred in the United States when, in 1932, the Public Health Service initiated a syphilis study on 399 African American men from Tuskegee, Alabama. The goal of the study was to observe the men over a period of time to examine how the disease progressed in African Americans. When the study began, there was no cure; however, fifteen years into the study, penicillin was discovered to be a cure for syphilis. The research participants were never informed, and treatment was withheld in spite of the fact that by the end of the experiment in 1972, 128 men had died either from the disease or related complications [1].
The term morality is often confused with ethics; however, morality involves the judgment or evaluation of an ethical system, decision, or action based on social, cultural, or religious norms [13, 14]. The term morals is derived from the Latin word mores, which translates into customs or values. Click to Review.
The 1990 NASW Code of Ethics was classified as deontologic because it contained three ethics statements that were more rule-based [21]. The most recent NASW Code of Ethics also has a deontologic style because it also includes the responsibility of the social work professional to understand the ethical statements instead of merely inscribing the ethical statements as a prescriptive rule [21]. It has been noted that the values set forth in the NASW Code of Ethics are deontologic in nature, but frequently, social workers will use teleologic reasoning to make their decisions when confronted with ethical dilemmas [7].
Importance of human relationships. Valuing and appreciating the interaction, connections, and exchange that exists in the social worker and client relationship, which creates a positive working relationship. Integrity.
Social justice. The ideal in which every individual in society has equal access to rights, opportunities, social benefits, and protection. Dignity and worth of the person.
Ethics are the beliefs an individual or group maintains about what constitutes correct or proper behavior [13]. To put it simply, ethics are the standards of conduct an individual uses to make decisions. The term morality is often confused with ethics; however, morality involves the judgment or evaluation of an ethical system, decision, or action based on social, cultural, or religious norms [13, 14]. The term morals is derived from the Latin word mores, which translates into customs or values.
An ethical dilemma presents itself when a social worker must make a choice between two mutually exclusive courses of action. The action may involve the choice of two positives or the choice of avoiding two harms. If one side of the dilemma is more valuable or positive than the other side then there is no dilemma because the choice will lean toward the side that is more desirable [15]. The process of making the choice is the ethical decision-making process.