Three are a substantial number of decision-making models used to evaluate ethical choices and beliefs. Two of these systems will be described in this brief essay. Either is useful in helping to ensure that decisions are made that reflect ethical choices.
The Utilitarian approach to decision-making asks one to identify the various courses of action that are available, to determine who will be affected by each of these options, and to determine what benefits or harms are likely to result from each. Finally, one is expected to choose the action that will produce the greatest benefits and the least harm (Schick & Vaughn, 1999). In essence, this approach emphasizes the maximization of "happiness," which is understood as encompassing pleasure and the lack of damage to others. As noted by Schick and Vaughn (1999), this approach attempts to maximize the utility of all actions and to orient behavior toward the satisfaction of the greatest number of needs or interests.
Based on the work of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, Utilitarian decision-making reflects an understanding of the impact or consequences of decisions of an ethical nature (Schick & Vaughn, 1999). It asks one to consider the short- and long-term impact of decisions that are mad. It also focuses not only on the self, but also on others.
A second model is that of the "rights Approach." Articulated by (among others), Immanuel Kant, this approach to ethical decision-making focuses on the rights of all individuals to choose for themselves. In formulating the Categorical Imperative - a maxim that could be universal and applicable everywhere under all circumstances - Kant proposed that one should always treat others as ends and not as means. The Rights Model calls for recognizing that people have the right to be treated with respect and dignity, to choose freely for themselves, and to be free from harm (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, & Meyer, 2008). This is a...