Ethical styles and ethical decisions in health settings

Three basic ethical orientations in clients are described, the legalistic, the antinomian, and the normative. It is proposed that social workers relate to these orientations by developing a normative orientation of their own. Such a normative orientation is described and presented as rooted in the value system of the profession. As professional values and ethical perspectives are integrated, a style of making ethical decisions develops. Interaction of clients and social workers around ethical issues are particularly likely to occur in health settings and illustrations from these settings are presented. The ethical implications of counselor-neutrality, confidentiality, self-determination, and paternalism are discussed.