The focus is on confidentiality The following are two ethical cases. Answer each

Question

The focus is on confidentiality

The following are two ethical cases. Answer each question as fully as you can.

1.     You are a psychiatrist and your patient has just confided to you that he intends to kill a woman. You're inclined to dismiss the threat as idle, but you aren't sure. Should you report the threat to the police and the woman or should you remain silent as the principle of confidentiality between psychiatrist and patient demands? Or should there be a law that compels you to report such threats?

Apply all three ethical theories before determining a moral judgment.

2.     A friend confides to you that he has committed a particular crime and you promise never to tell. Discovering that an innocent person has been accused of the crime, you plead with your friend to give himself up. He refuses and reminds you of your promise. What should you do? In general, under what conditions should promises be broken?

Again, apply all three ethical theories before determining a moral judgment

You can use:

Utilitarianism

Pragmatism

Intuitionism

categorical imperative, Aristotelian virtue ethics

Explanation / Answer

Utilitarianism - It states wheather the actions right or wrong depends upon their effects. They believe that purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) and also by decreasing amount of (such as pain and unhappiness). They also believe that the best action is the one which maximises its utility. In the first situation the I would make use of the knowledge, and inform police or his nearby people and would aks them to maintain the silence about it. Even in second situation in case of crime, this should be first told police or authority because there are laws which exempt certain mentally retartded cases who do crime.

Pragmatism - This believes that particular ideology or would only be true or satisfactory if it is sucessful in its application and rejecting unpractical ideas. I guess pragmatism is some what related to or consequence of Utilitarianism. It is practical in the yes of law to inform the police authority than to keep any secreats. Since it is for the benefit of the counsellee

Intuitionism - It believes that our intitutive knowledge of evaluative facts or intitutive awarness of values forms the grounds for ethical knowledge. Givibg answers to the above two, I am clearly convinced that I should break promise or break the law of confidentiality.

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