Can We Afford the Medicines We Need: An Ethical Dilemma?

Sports, apart from providing entertainment, can provide an escape from everyday troubles, a community to belong to, and an opportunity to connect to the wider world. As such, sports have contributed to the unification of people, the development of peace and tolerance, and the empowerment of women and young people globally. However, sports’ widespread popularity has also contributed to “big money” opportunities for sports organizations, sporting venues, athletes, and sponsors that have created an environment riddled with ethical dilemmas that make headlines, resulting in protests and violence, and often leave society more divided. A current ethical dilemma faced by agents associated with the Olympic games serves to demonstrate the magnitude and challenges related to resolving ethical dilemmas in the sport industry. A decision-making framework is applied to this current sport’s ethical dilemma, as an example of how better ethical decision making might be achieved.

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Motivational Interviewing: A Special Ethical Dilemma?

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s1352465800016441 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 335-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jacqueline M. J. Withers

Keyword(s):

Motivational Interviewing ◽

Behaviour Change ◽

Ethical Dilemma ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Life Goals ◽

Psychological Interventions ◽

Problem Behaviour ◽

General Sense ◽

Therapeutic Goals ◽

Motivational Interventions

This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of the ethical issues in motivational interventions which have recently been raised by Miller (1994). Motivational interviewing is typically used when a therapist perceives a need for behaviour change in someone who is ambivalent about such change. Motivational interviewing aims to evoke motivation by making salient the inconsistency of continuing with a problem behaviour and other longer term or wider life goals. Miller (1994) discussed what was manipulative about this approach and considered both a descriptive and evaluative component. The ethics of motivational interviewing are considered here, within the context of psychological therapy in a general sense, and questions whether the ethical issues relevant to motivational interviewing are different from other psychological interventions. A distinction between the goals and the means of obtaining therapeutic goals is suggested as useful.

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