PSYCHOLOGICAL ETHICS – SUMMARY
WEEK 1: NEILL & HANDELSMAN CHAPTERS 3&4
Absolutism: ethical positions grounded in external principles like religious beliefs.
Relativism: ethical positions grounded in many varieties that lack universality.
The post-God dilemma
Nietzsche: God is dead.
If ethics can no longer be accorded to God, the possibility becomes questionable.
Cultural relativism: moral relatives are shaped by cultural context.
Rejects existence of universal moral principles.
Creates agonism (fundamental conflict) by seeing exclusive perspectives as equally
valid.
Lacks universality.
Natural origin of ethics
Organic ethics rooted in natural moral sensibility.
Knowing the difference between right and wrong.
Still, innate moral sensibility is not the same across different cultures.
Neurological perspectives
Ethics based on neurobiology.
Some neurological processes are connected to ethics.
This is not enough to explain ethics.
Ethical acculturation: using several types of adaptation strategies. Explores “professional
ethical identity” in students.
Berry’s model of acculturation (1980): 2 dimensions (cultural maintenance & participation)
that lead to 4 different strategies of adaptation.
Assimilation: low cultural maintenance & high participation.
o Adopting all values of the new culture.
o Letting go of your original culture completely.
o Potential danger: risk of also excluding yourself from values guiding your
personal life and completely relying on external factors.
o Risk of empty application of ethical principles.
Separation: high cultural maintenance & low participation.
o Avoiding interaction with new culture.
o Staying completely involved in culture of origin.
o Potential danger: feeling that your personal moral expressions are sufficient for
your professional work life.
o Risk of conflicts between personal beliefs and professional obligations.
Integration: high cultural maintenance & high participation.
o Embracing new culture.
o Still keeping ties to culture of origin.
, o No potential risks & dangers; if conflicts arise, you know how to ethically
handle them.
Marginalization: low cultural maintenance & low participation.
o Don’t engage in new culture.
o Neglecting culture of origin.
o Leads to a lack of clear cultural identity.
o Lack a well-developed moral sense.
o Highest risk for unethical situations.
o Problems with enduring relationships and socialization.
Acculturation guides students through transitions in stead of indoctrinations. It is a long-term
developmental process. This is done through ethical courses, practicum supervision and
training programs.
Berry & Kim (1988): 2 key factors of pluralism in acculturation.
Availability of a supportive network.
Great tolerance of cultural diversity.
WEEK 2: RACHELS & SANDAL
The utilitarian approach
Founder is Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832).
Act utilitarianism.
Morality doesn’t come from religion or abstract rules.
Principle of utility
o Producing the most happiness for the greatest amount of people.
o Regardless of the circumstance.
John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873): leading voice of utilitarian moral theory.
o Rule utilitarianism: certain rules or principles should be followed because they
would lead to overall happiness.
Speciesism (Ryder, 1970): animal interests are less relevant than human ones. Utilitarians
disagree; suffering is not just unique to humans, animals can feel pain and happiness too.
Immanual Kant (1724 – 1804)
Morality isn’t about maximizing happiness.
Respecting individuals as ends in themselves.
Pure practical reason
o Everyone is a rational and autonomous being capable of reasoning and free
choice.
Actions driven by pursuit of pleasure or avoidance of pain don’t consist of true
freedom.
Heteronomy: actions are determined by external factors.
It is not about choosing means to an end but choosing the end itself.
o This distinguishes humans from mere instruments.
Morality is about the motive and not the consequence.
Motive of duty: doing the right thing for the right reason.
WEEK 1: NEILL & HANDELSMAN CHAPTERS 3&4
Absolutism: ethical positions grounded in external principles like religious beliefs.
Relativism: ethical positions grounded in many varieties that lack universality.
The post-God dilemma
Nietzsche: God is dead.
If ethics can no longer be accorded to God, the possibility becomes questionable.
Cultural relativism: moral relatives are shaped by cultural context.
Rejects existence of universal moral principles.
Creates agonism (fundamental conflict) by seeing exclusive perspectives as equally
valid.
Lacks universality.
Natural origin of ethics
Organic ethics rooted in natural moral sensibility.
Knowing the difference between right and wrong.
Still, innate moral sensibility is not the same across different cultures.
Neurological perspectives
Ethics based on neurobiology.
Some neurological processes are connected to ethics.
This is not enough to explain ethics.
Ethical acculturation: using several types of adaptation strategies. Explores “professional
ethical identity” in students.
Berry’s model of acculturation (1980): 2 dimensions (cultural maintenance & participation)
that lead to 4 different strategies of adaptation.
Assimilation: low cultural maintenance & high participation.
o Adopting all values of the new culture.
o Letting go of your original culture completely.
o Potential danger: risk of also excluding yourself from values guiding your
personal life and completely relying on external factors.
o Risk of empty application of ethical principles.
Separation: high cultural maintenance & low participation.
o Avoiding interaction with new culture.
o Staying completely involved in culture of origin.
o Potential danger: feeling that your personal moral expressions are sufficient for
your professional work life.
o Risk of conflicts between personal beliefs and professional obligations.
Integration: high cultural maintenance & high participation.
o Embracing new culture.
o Still keeping ties to culture of origin.
, o No potential risks & dangers; if conflicts arise, you know how to ethically
handle them.
Marginalization: low cultural maintenance & low participation.
o Don’t engage in new culture.
o Neglecting culture of origin.
o Leads to a lack of clear cultural identity.
o Lack a well-developed moral sense.
o Highest risk for unethical situations.
o Problems with enduring relationships and socialization.
Acculturation guides students through transitions in stead of indoctrinations. It is a long-term
developmental process. This is done through ethical courses, practicum supervision and
training programs.
Berry & Kim (1988): 2 key factors of pluralism in acculturation.
Availability of a supportive network.
Great tolerance of cultural diversity.
WEEK 2: RACHELS & SANDAL
The utilitarian approach
Founder is Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832).
Act utilitarianism.
Morality doesn’t come from religion or abstract rules.
Principle of utility
o Producing the most happiness for the greatest amount of people.
o Regardless of the circumstance.
John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873): leading voice of utilitarian moral theory.
o Rule utilitarianism: certain rules or principles should be followed because they
would lead to overall happiness.
Speciesism (Ryder, 1970): animal interests are less relevant than human ones. Utilitarians
disagree; suffering is not just unique to humans, animals can feel pain and happiness too.
Immanual Kant (1724 – 1804)
Morality isn’t about maximizing happiness.
Respecting individuals as ends in themselves.
Pure practical reason
o Everyone is a rational and autonomous being capable of reasoning and free
choice.
Actions driven by pursuit of pleasure or avoidance of pain don’t consist of true
freedom.
Heteronomy: actions are determined by external factors.
It is not about choosing means to an end but choosing the end itself.
o This distinguishes humans from mere instruments.
Morality is about the motive and not the consequence.
Motive of duty: doing the right thing for the right reason.
