Ethics, Boundaries, Maturity, Universal Prosocial Values

     "if ethical boundaries are entirely contingent on external constraints, there exists a serious problem. Ethical considerations must also come from within: Ethical relationships evolve from the enactment of ethical values by individual professionals."

       Austin W, Bergum V, Nuttgens S, Peternelj-Taylor C. A Re-Visioning of Boundaries in Professional Helping Relationships: Exploring Other Metaphors. Ethics & Behavior 2006; 16(2): 77-94.

     Most of us ignore the topic of ethics until a jarring boundary violation occurs. Then it becomes obvious that the mere existence of external rules is not enough.

     A health-care professional MUST BE a mature, evolved human being, embodying and guided by, an internalized set of values. But psychosocial maturation does not happen automatically. 

     Health-care (& other) professions could, and a few actually do, explicitly promote among their students, staff & faculty, cultivation of internalized universally-held prosocial values through broadly-accepted mindfulness training. 

 
     "mindfulness qualities may represent ideal 'global attitudes' that health care professionals can cultivate, during training, at work, and in their private lives. Professionalism and mindfulness are broad overlapping constructs with a common prosocial aim: letting go of selfish, short-sighted rewards and promoting the long-term common good. Both constructs also aim for the highest quality of life for practitioners and patients alike. The time seems ripe for dental educators to incorporate mindfulness practices in dental professionalism curricula."
       Lovas JG, Lovas DA, Lovas PM. Mindfulness and Professionalism in Dentistry. J Dent Educ 2008; 72(9): 998-1009. 

Dale Chihuly   http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com