Running head: MORAL REASONING

Moral Reasoning
Bryan Blattert- fq1975
SW 3410
August 5, 2015

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A persons analysis and reaction to the situations in their life largely depends on the
societal norms they have been exposed too. Kohlbergs theory of moral development details the
transitions people go through as they age. Barsky (2010) discusses Kohlbergs moral
development theory, listing three stage of moral reasoning (p 49). The stages include pre
conventional, conventional, and post conventional. The pre conventional stage is common in
childhood and can last into adulthood; this stages consists of obedience and self-interest, with
reasoning based on rules and their punishments. (Barsky, 2010, p. 49). The second stage is the
conventional stage. In the conventional stage, moral decisions are made by comparing views
with others, and is largely based on societal expectations (Barsky, 2010, p. 51). According to
Barsky (2010) the conventional stage begins during adolescence and can last throughout
adulthood (p. 51). The third stage, the post-conventional stage occur late in an adults life.
Individuals in this stage make moral decisions based on their own point of view as well as others,
valuing a functioning society (Barsky, 2010, p. 52). This stage is a near mixture of the preconventional and conventional stages, and according to Barsky (2010), some never reach this
third stage during their lifetime (p. 52).
Morals and ethics are closely related. Depending the on the group or culture, morals are
perceived differently. How they are perceived determines whether or not it is an ethical behavior.
According to Barsky (2010), morals refer to general or societal conceptions of right and wrong,
ethics refer to conceptions of right and wrong among a particular group such as social workers
(p. 45). He further states that moral decision making is the process an individual uses to
determine what is right or wrong (p.45). Try to think of moral based on an individual level and
ethical on a professional or group level. Ethics are the rules that define what types of behavior
are inappropriate (Barsky, 2010, p. 3). Ethical decision making is decision making based on

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following the rules that define appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Social workers need to
know about and fully understand both moral and ethical decision making to be effective and
professional in their careers. Social workers need to be aware of and understand the rules that
deem their behavior appropriate or inappropriate in their profession, they need to understand this
practice ethically as a social worker. Abiding by the NASW Code of Ethics is the best way a
social worker can be effective and ethically correct in their profession. The NASW set forth the
standards for professional social workers to abide by in order to maintain ethical behavior in
their practice. Social workers need to be able to understand if what they are doing is right or
wrong, they can achieve this by using moral decision making to determine if their behavior is
right or wrong pertaining to the client. Biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors are
different for each person. These factor can affect how we make decisions, changing our moral
decision process.
When someones physiological needs are not being properly met, it can affect their
decision making process. A person who is without or experiencing difficulty in physiological
manner, their moral choices and decisions are affecting by what they are lacking. An example
would be medication usage, before my spinal cord injury I took pride in not taking any
medications but now that I have an injury to my spinal cord I am forced to take medications to
treat specific symptoms such as pain. My injury effected my moral decisions on medications.
Psychological factors can affect an individuals moral decision making. These factors
include attitude, emotions, and psychological disorders (Barsky, 2010, p. 49). Everyone has a
down day or a day they are extremely stressed. When this happens, a persons attitude and
emotions are different than normal and can affect their decision making process. Normally
someone might take their time to think through their actions. Anger or frustration can affect

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moral behavior, when I get frustrated I tend to put my head down and only think of finishing the
task instead of what I am doing morally. Emotions regarding discrimination to those who are in
wheelchairs would affect my decision making process as I would most likely act out emotionally
instead of behavior morally or the right way.
Social factors refer to a persons interpersonal dynamics that have an effect on a persons
moral decision making, factors that are particularly important are social learning, social identity,
and social context (Barsky, 2010, p. 60). How a person learns behavior, their sense of identity,
and the environment around them can affect how they behave morally. According to Barsky
(2010), the social learning theory suggest that people learn behavioral patterns from significant
people in their lives (p. 60). The group a person identifies their self gives them a sense of who
they are and determines the behaviors they believe is right or wrong. In American we tend to
over eat, we frequent buffets and enjoy large portions. To us, this behavior is morally acceptable
even though people die every day from complications stemming from a poor diet. Other
countries actually frown upon American for their eating habits, they consider us to be gluttons;
what nationality a person belongs to can affect their moral behavior whether it is how much food
they consume or how they treat their spouse and children.
Spirituality is another factor that can affect someones moral decision making. The bible
is composed of stories that help guide Christians through their moral decision making process. A
connection with god can greatly affect a persons behavior. Learning the teachings of Jesus can
significantly impact a persons life, demonstrating how we should be treating each other. If a
person is a Christian, they try to live their lives by the words Jesus said. By living these words
they are living a morally pure life. Spirituality can influence, change, or cause a person to behave

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a certain way morally. My spirituality helps me make moral decisions when I really analyze the
situation.
Being a social worker comes with a responsibility, a responsibility to improve the
conditions for marginalized populations. A person has to go through rigorous training to become
a social worker. There is a standard when it comes to making moral and ethical decisions as a
social worker. The NASW Code of Ethics provides social workers with the standards social
workers should live by to provide the best customer service. A professional social worker should
value service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships,
integrity, and competence (NASW Code of Ethics, 2008). If a social worker abides by the Code
of Ethics, they are making morally correct choices. If the worker strays from the Code of Ethics
and acts in a manner that is negative to the client and/or others then I would not agree with their
actions. Depending on the situation I would follow the necessary steps to resolve the situation.
During my career, I may encounter situations that may actually help others if I make an
unethical decision. This may affect my moral decision making; doing anything I can to serve my
client could affect my moral behavior as well. My ethical decision-making should abide by the
Code of Ethics. Serving the client the best that I can should guide all of my decision making. The
standards set forth by the NASW, best interests of clients, and the policies and procedures of my
agency should guide my ethical-decision making throughout my career.
The NASW listed the following steps for ethical problem-solving: 1. Determine 2.
Identify 3. Rank 4. Develop 5. Implement 6. Reflect. The social worker should determine
whether there is an ethical issue or/and dilemma (NASW, n.d.). By determining what type of
issue needs to be addressed, the worker begins developing a solution. They also state that a social

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worker should identify the key values and principle involved; after identifying the worker should
rank the values or ethical principles involved. Identifying and ranking the values or ethical
principles enables the worker to categorize them from least to most important; allowing them to
determine which issue needs immediate attention. Once the values are ranked, their list discusses
the development of an action that is consistent with the ethical priorities that have been
determined as central to the dilemma. According to the NASW (n.d.), implementing the plan is
next, the worker should do this by utilizing the most appropriate practice skills and
competencies. Developing and implementing an action plan is the most effective way for the
social worker to solve the issue. Once the worker has successfully implanted his plan, they are to
reflect on the outcome of this ethical decision making process (NASW, n.d.). Reflecting on the
outcome allows the social worker to determine what worked and what did not. It can be a great
learning tool for the social worker.
The NASW has set forth the standards, values, and ethical principles for social workers to
abide by. Social workers are to value service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person,
important of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Each value correlates with an
ethical principle. A social worker should take action with the values in mind to provide the best
service for a client. Supporting a clients decisions is what we do as social workers. We stand by
our clients to help guide them through change to create positive results in their lives.
It is my responsibility as a social worker to support clients decisions and provide service
to that client. If a client that I am working with is choosing to make morally wrong decisions but
they are still legal then it is my responsibility to support the clients decisions. As a social
worker, it is not my job to act on morally wrong behavior unless it breaks the law or poses a
threat to others. According to the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), a social workers primary goal

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is to help people in need, to provide service to them. What may be morally wrong to me might be
acceptable behavior in the clients culture or group. It is my job to respect the clients wishes and
in the case of stopping medications, leaving treatment, terminating a pregnancy, and lying to an
employer I would not promote their decisions but rather provide the support the client needs at
the time. Providing service to clients is my job, and that is what I would do in this case.
I am absolutely willing to me with a client of a different religious, racial, or ethnic
background. I expect to work with and look forward to working with a diverse group of
individuals during my social work career. According to the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), social
workers values the dignity and worth of a person; this means all people regardless of religion,
race, and ethnicity. If I do not have the proper experience necessary to provide quality service to
a person from a different cultural background then the first thing I would do is talk with a more
experienced colleague about working with these clients. Gaining as much background
knowledge and expertise from others is the best way to prepare myself to provide the best service
to the client.
When working with clients it is important to delineate clear and appropriate professional
boundaries. Under no circumstances should a social worker engage in sexual activities, physical
contact, sexual harassment, or derogatory language (NASW Code of Ethics, 2008). This means
under no circumstances will I ever engage in this inappropriate behavior with clients. I will
always delineate clear and professional conduct while service clients. If boundaries are crossed it
will damage the client/worker relationship. Crossing boundaries or not having clear boundaries
can change the dynamics of the client/worker relationship. This jeopardizes the workers moral
and ethical responsibilities not only to the client but to worker as well. If I acted this way, I
would be disregarding the values and ethical principles set forth by the NASW.

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Social workers are holders of confidential information that is shared with them by clients
and colleagues. It is the responsibility of the worker to keep this information private and
confidential, respecting the clients rights to privacy. I do not have difficulty in my everyday life
with keeping information confidential. A persons information is only theirs to share, not mine.
In my career, I am breaking more than my own moral code if I disclose confidential information.
I would be breaking the ethical standards and principles set for by the NASW Code of Ethics.
If I believe that the rules within my organization or the law of my state contravene the
values set forth by the NASW for professional social workers then I would intervene. I would
engage in social and political action efforts to change the rules. According to the NASW (2008),
social workers are supposed to value social justice. As a social worker, it is my ethical
responsibility to challenge social injustice and improve conditions of marginalized populations.
Therefore, if I believe the rules within my organization or the laws of my state contravene the
values of my profession, it is my duty to act and fight for social justice.
If I learn that a colleague is practicing while impairment or their impairment may inhibit
them from serving clients them I will have to take action. According to the NASW Code of
Ethics (2008), ethical standard 2.09 Impairment of Colleagues states that a social worker with
direct knowledge of a colleagues impairment should consult with that colleague when feasible
and assist the colleague in remedial action. Abiding by this standards means that I am ethically
responsible to take action by consulting and assisting my colleague. If the situation is not
handled then I will have to take it to the next step and take action through appropriate channels
established by employers, agencies, NASW, licensing and regulatory bodies, and other
professional organizations (NASW Code of Ethics, 2008). Failing to act would violate the Code
of Ethics on my behalf as a professional social worker. Not only do am I responsible to hold

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colleagues accountable for being impaired, I must hold myself accountable to this ethical
standard as well. Impairment while practicing or impairment that will interfere with serving
clients is not acceptable.
As a social worker, I have commitments to my employer. If I received an offer of
employment by a new employer there are standards I need to abide by. According to standard
3.09 in the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), I should only accept employment in an organization
that exercises fair personnel practices. Before accepting employment I would research the
employer and the position I am applying for to make sure that they abide by the rules and
standards of the NASW. If they are abiding by the ethical standards then I would accept the
position. I would give my notice to my employer but stay as long as needed to transfer my cases
and create a smooth transition for both my employer and clients. My new employment offer and
acceptance should not affect my current employer or clients in a negative way. All information
from the employer I am leaving would need to be kept confidential to abide by the privacy and
confidentiality standards of a social worker.
Under no circumstances should a social worker use disparaging language to describe
clients. If the worker does take part in this, they would be violating the Code of Ethics. Ethical
standard 1.12 in the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), states that social workers should not use
derogatory language in their written or verbal communications to or about clients; social workers
should use respectful language in all communications to and about clients. Regardless of burnout
or having a bad day, it will be my responsibility to handle my own situation and not let it affect
my level of service or respect towards clients and colleagues. Time off, asking for help, or
transferring a client would be an option before using derogatory language.

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I am willing and able to practice in as transparent a manner as possible. In cases where
the client is involuntary, such as child welfare, I am willing to make the terms under which the
will be closed explicit to the family. I value service and dignity and worth of a person, abiding by
these values I would practice in a transparent manner to provide the best service to the client.
Ethical standard 1.01 Commitment to Clients states that it is the workers responsibility to
promote the well-being of client (NASW Code of Ethics, 2008). I am willing to keep information
confidential and to practice transparently unless of the law is being broken; in that case I would
have to report.

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References
Barsky, A. (2010). Ethics and values in social work an integrated approach for a comprehensive
curriculum. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Essential Steps for Ethical Problem-Solving. (n.d.). Retrieved August 4, 2015.
National Association of Social Workers, Code of Ethics. (2008). Retrieved from
http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp