Obstacles in Ethical Responsibilities

Self-interest:
Self-interest is a form of egoism an exclusive concern to satisfy ones own interest, even at the
expense of others. A person who focuses more on his interest, even at the expense of others.
never behave ethically and morally in different situations.
Self-interest blocks the person from seeing or fully understanding their professional
responsibilities.

Lack of resources:
When resources are limited, then it became hindrance in ethical responsibilities of a person. It
means that a person cant behave ethically when he dont have enough resources to deal with the
problem.

Corrupt Nature:
A person having corrupt nature means he is very offensive in nature and degrade with unsound
principles or moral values., such kind of person means you can never trust on him. That kind of
nature become a hindrance in way of ethical responsibilties.
A corrupt nature can behave unmorally, whenever taking responsibilties.

Microscopic Vision:
Microscopic vision embraces a limited prespective. A person should have broaden his vision
whenever taking a responsibility, otherwise microscopic vision is on its way to become a barrier
in ethical responsibilties.

Lack of Knowledge of Ethical Standards:

Society is fast paced and ever changing. Counsellors are obliged to remain committed to ongoing
learning and development within the profession. This includes continuing awareness of relevant
ethical codes and standards.
It also incorporates knowledge of legal standards and laws. Ignorance is not a defense.
Counsellors can overcome this obstacle through personal commitment to professional
development and maintaining professional memberships.
According to a counselling connection site there are many barriers to decision making:

Financial Incentives:
Ethical dilemmas often present in the form of gifts or rewards offered to the counsellor either
directly by the client, or indirectly through an agency.

A counsellor may justify the acceptance of such gifts/rewards by undervaluing the monetary
value of their role.
Coleman considers that counsellors rationalise this behaviour by telling themselves that they are
underpaid and deserve it.
This barrier often inhibits the counsellor at the beginning of the ethical decision making process
stopping them from adequately clarifying the problem.
Reaffirming the reason for entering the counselling profession may assist the counsellor in
overcoming this obstacle.

Perfectionism:
A large barrier at the implementation stage of the ethical problem solving process is the
counsellors fear of not making a good decision.
A counsellor may become over concerned with doing the right thing, so much so that they are
unable to put the decision into practice. Coleman (n.d) proposes that counsellors acknowledge
that there is rarely one right choice and to look beyond self.

Fear of Criticism:
No one likes to be criticised and counsellors are no different.It is however, inevitable that the
decision taken will not be popular with all.
To overcome the fear, a counsellor needs to accept that the choice they have made is the correct
one for the situation and that not everyone will be pleased.

High Affiliative Needs:

This barrier often accompanies perfectionism.
Many counsellors have a need to be liked and ethical decisions may not always be popular.
This need can leave the counsellor open to manipulation.
Personal awareness can help the counsellor overcome this barrier.

Personal or Professional Immaturity:

Coleman (n.d) identifies immaturity as acting impulsively without any conviction.
Immaturity involves acting on and implementing decisions that satisfy the counsellor first, often
without any consideration to the client.
The use of an ethical problem solving model can assist in conquering this barrier.
Counsellor Substance Abuse

Stress within any profession can lead to substance abuse, counsellors too are vulnerable.The
counsellor who acts under the influence of alcohol or other substances is putting themselves,
their client/s and the profession at harm. Counsellors need to be aware of the effect personal
issues may have on themselves, how it transcends to their professional life and how they deal
with said issues (Corey, Corey and Callanan 2007).

Lack of Personal Values Clarification:

Commitment to ongoing professional growth is facilitative and required.
Counsellors also need to be dedicated to personal development and knowledge of self/values.
As with professional development this is an ongoing reflection.
Failure to do this could result in the counsellor becoming stuck and lacking the maturity to
undertake sound ethical practice.

Limitations of Codes of Ethics and Conduct:

Stein (1990) identifies a number of limitations pertaining to ethical codes. They are:
Written in broad, general terms not specific to any one particular situation.
Can conflict with other Codes or regulations
Reactive rather than proactive
Silent or blind to some situations/problems
Vital to remain alert to the Ethical Codes offered by professional memberships and acknowledge
limits.

Lack of a Decision Making Model:

Decisions that are made impulsively fail to acknowledge the extent of the dilemma and the
process. A clear structure to follow means that the decision made is more likely to be morally
acceptable, clinically appropriate and suit both the client and the counsellors interests

References:
http://www.counsellingconnection.com/index.php//barriers-to-ethical-decision-making/