Moral Theory in Ethical Decision Making: Problems, Clarifications and Recommendations from a Psychological Perspective
Author(s)
Miner, Maureen; Petocz, Agnes
Abstract
Psychological theory and research in ethical decision making and ethical professional practice are presently hampered by a failure to take appropriate account of an extensive background in moral philosophy. As a result, attempts to develop models of ethical decision making are left vulnerable to a number of criticisms: that they neglect the problems of meta-ethics and the variety of meta-ethical perspectives; that they fail clearly and consistently to differentiate between descriptive and prescriptive accounts; that they leave unexplicated the theoretical assumptions derived from the underlying moral theories; and that they fail to accommodate the complexity and comprehensiveness of the processes involved in the making and implementing of ethical decisions. This paper offers an analysis of the difficulties, and makes a number of recommendations for future theory, research and practical applications.
