Framework for Intellectual and Ethical Maturity

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Framework for Intellectual and Ethical Maturity

• From Dimensions of Ethical Decision Making
• Anna Witter-Merithew Kellie Mills Stewart
• For Ethics of Interpreting, SCCC
• B. Aron

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Models of Intellectual and Ethical Maturity
Terminology

• Critical Reflection the ability to reflect on
  life experiences and analyze them for the purpose
  of isolating important principles and learning
  that emerges and continues to unfold over time.
• Ethics derived from the Greek word ethos,
  meaning custom, usage, or character. Ethics is
  the science of ideal human character or the
  science of moral duty.
• Ethical Fitness the capacity to recognize the
  nature of moral challenges and respond with a
  well-tuned conscience, a lively perception of the
  difference between right and wrong and an ability
  to choose the right and live by it. Kidder
• Ethical and Intellectual Maturity a state of
  understanding and knowledge that enables an
  individual to consistently and responsibly
  function in a n ethically fit manner.

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Case Study Creating a Life to Save a Life

• In England, the Whitaker family faced a terrible
  situation their son, Charlie, suffered from a
  rare disorder that prevented his body from
  producing red blood cells. Without daily
  medications and frequent transfusions, Charlie
  would simply die. With them, he continues to
  live, but under close medical care. For a while,
  it looked as though Charlies parents had figured
  out an answer to this dilemma. They proposed to
  use in vitro fertilization to have another child,
  but with an added twist. They would, as is usual
  in this procedure, have the eggs fertilized
  outside the womb in a laboratory dish, but they
  would then include an additional step. Using new
  screening techniques, they would screen the
  embryos to see which would be most able to donate
  blood-making cells to Charlie. That would be the
  one that they would choose to implant and bring
  to term. In contrast to the United States and
  many other countries, in England someone
  proposing such a procedure must obtain government
  permission- In this case, from the Human
  Fertilization and Embryology Authority. The
  Authority rejected the request by the Whitaker
  family, saying that it was not right to create a
  human life with the express intent of saving
  another life.
• Contributed by Lawrence Hinman, University of San
  Diego _at_http//ethics.acusd.edu/

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Discussion Questions

• Do you agree with the Authoritys decision, why
  or why not?
• What are the significant moral considerations in
  this case? What consideration is decisive for
  you?
• Who should make these decisions? Who should have
  the right to make the final decision in such
  cases?
• What personal values and beliefs contribute to
  your thinking?

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4 Stages of Intellectual and Ethical Development
William Graves Perry Jr. 1970, 1999

• William Graves Perry Jr. , a psychology professor
  advisor to college students and researcher at
  Harvard University etc developed and outlined
  four distinct stages of intellectual and ethical
  development of college students, which we can
  build to understand ethical development within
  the field of interpreting. In the following slide
  is a description of the 4 stages.

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4 Stages of Ethical and Intellectual Maturity

• Basic Dualism
• Multiplicity
• Relativism Subordinate
• Relativism

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First Stage

• Basic Dualism The student views the world in
  polarities. The student is dependent on
  authorities to hand down the truth and to teach
  him right from wrong. Students or learners in
  this stage of ethical development look toward
  teachers, friends, rules, or colleagues to
  provide the direction for decision-makingtell
  me the right answer.

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Second Stage

• Multiplicity The student begins to carve out his
  or her own opinions and desires. He or she
  develops the personal freedom due to recognition
  of diversity of opinion and multiple perspectives
  that exist in society. Students begin to test the
  beliefs and values taught to them by parents and
  family. In a college or educational environment,
  the students acquired beliefs are challenged and
  begin to cement or reform.

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Third Stage

• Relativism Subordinate The student begins to
  develop an analytical and evaluative approach to
  ethical choices because the teacher insists on
  evidence and support of the students opinions.
  Students begin to develop the skills to answer
  the question, Why do you believe that? They
  begin to develop the necessary analytical skills
  to determine ethical choices based on a rationale
  supported by evidence and reasoning.

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Fourth Stage

• Relativism The student comprehends that truth
  is relative. Students recognize that the meaning
  of an event depends on the context in which the
  event occurs and the framework the knower uses
  to understand that event. The individual has
  learned and developed the skills to look beyond
  his or her own truth to determine the available
  ethical choices appropriate for the people
  involved in a particular setting and context. The
  individual now realizes there is no one rule
  fits all approach to ethical decision-making.
  Individuals learn to take responsibility for the
  way situations are viewed and interpreted which
  leads to different choices.

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Can You apply ethical maturity?

• How would an individual in each of Perrys four
  phases respond to the situation in the case of
  the ?
• Basic Dualism
• Multiplicity
• Relativism Subordinate
• Relativism

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Intellectual and Ethical Maturity Continuum
HIGH
Stage FourFull Relativism/State of Constructed
Knowledge
Experiential Learning Critical Reflection
Stage ThreeRelativism Subordinate
Stage TwoMultiplicity
Stage OneBasic DualismState of Received
Knowledge
LOW
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Factors Impacting Ethical ReasoningCsongradi,
2004

• Moral/ Ethical Problem

Facts Media Economy Data
Information
Data Economy Information SOCIETY
Ethical Theories
Institutions
Others
Media Facts VALUES
Perspective
PRINCIPLES
SELF
Laws Rules Codes Obligations
Reflection
Reflection
Data Media Facts Information economy
School Family Friends Religion
Data Facts Economy Media Information
Moral/ Ethical Action
MORAL/ETHICAL KNOWLEDGE
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Ethical Fitness A Part of Competent Autonomy

• Competent Autonomy vs. Default Autonomy
• The difference between competent autonomy which
  is based on professional merit and
• default autonomy which is without merit and
  results from isolation, insufficient training,
  and market trends and conditions.

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Competent Autonomy

• Autonomy an individuals ability to
  independently carry out the responsibilities of
  the position without close supervision.
  Blanchfield Biordi, 1996
• Autonomy means the freedom to act on what you
  know Kramer and Schmalenberg, 1993
• Autonomy is linked to competence because
  competence involves not only knowing, but also
  knowing that you know.

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Awareness of Five Factors

• Complexity of communication demands
• Predictability of outcome
• Cognitive requirements necessary to provide the
  tasks
• Technical requirements associated with the tasks
• Level of risk/liability and potential for a
  negative outcome

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Ethical Fitness

• Ethical Fitness is the capacity to recognize the
  nature of moral challenges and respond with a
  well-tuned conscience, a lively perception of the
  difference between right and wrong, and an
  ability to choose the right and live by it.
  Kidder, 1990

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Right vs. Right Dilemmas (6 scenarios)

• It is right for D/deaf people to have the highest
  skilled interpreters available and it is right
  for novice/student interpreters to have
  opportunities to get real-world interpreting
  experience in an effort to become highly skilled
  one day.
• It is right for the privacy of consumers to be
  protected and it is right for interpreting
  practitioners to learn from our professional
  experiences by discussing situations from time to
  time in an attempt to avoid future conflicts.

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Right vs. Right Dilemmas

• 3. It is right for D/deaf people to have access
  to interpreters 24 hours a day and it is right
  for interpreters to take time off from work or
  have a personal life.
• 4. It is right for D/deaf children to be among
  their D/deaf peers and to develop a common
  identity with other D/deaf children and it is
  right for parents to want their children to be
  educated in local public schools and live at
  home.

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Right vs. Right Dilemmas

• 5. It is right for interpreters to prepare for
  assignments well in advance and it is right for
  D/deaf people to have the choice to participate
  in events spontaneously on short notice.
• 6. It is right for interpreters to charge a fee
  commensurate with their training, experience and
  national certification and it is right for those
  hiring interpreting services to seek the most
  cost effective option available.

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Right vs. Wrong

• It is right for interpreters to desire financial
  success and work hard to achieve it, but it would
  be wrong for interpreters to take advantage of
  consumers for financial gain.
• It is right for interpreters to want to advance
  themselves personally or professionally, but it
  would be wrong to personally benefit from or use
  information obtained from an interpreting
  assignment for self-interest.

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Right vs. Wrong

• 3. It is right for interpreters to seek
  opportunities for growth and to further develop
  their interpreting skills, but it would be wrong
  to take an assignment without being qualified to
  handle it.
• 4. It is right for interpreters to attempt to
  maximize their time and billable hours during a
  workday, but it would be wrong to schedule
  assignments so close together that consumers were
  not well-served.

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Right vs. Wrong

• 5. It is right for interpreters to want to work
  certain types of highly desirable assignments,
  but it would be wrong for interpreters to
  undercut colleagues or referral services when
  soliciting these high profile assignments.
• 6. It is right for interpreters to believe they
  are qualified for certain assignments, but it
  would be wrong for interpreters to misrepresent
  his or her credentials in order to be hired.

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4 Right Vs. Right Paradigms Kidder

• Individual vs. Community
• Short-term vs. Long-term
• Justice vs. Mercy
• Truth vs. Loyalty

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Individual versus Community

• 1. This paradigm refers to those situations in
  which the interests of an individual are in
  conflict with the interests of a community.
• Example the rights of a criminal in the justice
  system vs. the rights of the community to be
  informed about the actions of criminals within
  the community.

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Short-term vs. Long-term

• 2. This paradigm refers to those situations when
  the short-term goal is inn conflict with the
  long-term goal.
• Example interpreters who choose to begin working
  before completing an ITP because the job is
  available now, vs. completing their training in
  order to enter the field as a more qualified
  practitioner. The immediate goal of employment is
  in conflict with the long-term goal of a
  qualified workforce.

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Justice versus Mercy

• 3. This paradigm refers to those situations when
  the desire to be fair and judicious is in
  conflict with the human capacity for forgiveness
  and mercy.
• Example a journalist who plagiarizes someones
  work and whether that person should lose the
  ability to work as a journalist forever, or does
  he deserve a second chance to do the right thing?

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Truth versus Loyalty

• 4. This paradigm refers to those situations where
  the importance of telling the truth may conflict
  with the desire to remain loyal to someone or
  something.
• Example an employee who knows their employer is
  acting unethically about an important matter and
  the struggle with whether to tell the truth to
  the authorities or to remain loyal to their
  employer.

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Summary on Ethical Maturity

• Ethical maturity comes from experience in
  reflecting and evaluating various perspectives
  related to what constitutes appropriate and
  ethical behavior.
• Ethical fitness is a pre-requisite for competent
  autonomy.
• Individuals move from basic duality which focuses
  on right vs. wrong paradigms to constructed
  relativism which involves consideration of a
  broad range of factors when deciding what is the
  most appropriate response to a situation.

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• FINI